L'amour au Manoir
by Fire Bear1
Summary: An AU in which Alice is a maid in a mansion in Victorian England, serving a French family - but what happens when she meets the Young Master? And who was Alice before she arrived there?
1. Kitchen Gossip

**Kitchen Gossip**

"No, I've never seen him. Nor do I want to. I would much rather just do my job and then go home." Alice looked at her fellow maid disapprovingly. "Why do you ask?"

Heather had a dreamy look on her face and she twirled round, her skirts spinning out around her. She hugged herself as she did so and sighed. Once she had stopped she grabbed Alice's shoulders and looked her straight in her emerald green eyes. "I saw him last week," she said in a hushed tone.

Alice sighed. She had only been working here a month but she knew what this would mean. "Well? When are you to do it?"

Heather giggled. "To-mo-rrow!" she said, gleefully. "So don't be lonely without me!" she added in a sing-song voice as an afterthought.

Alice nodded, not really caring. She really hated working here with these people. They were such gossips. And they never stopped talking about their precious "Young Master".

She glanced at the giggling girls around her. Some of them were in charge of taking his meals to him. Others would be serving him wine. She hated all of their reactions. They always came back down to the kitchen, swooning.

Exactly a month ago, Alice had come to Bonneville Manor without a clue how to do any of the jobs necessary for a maid. She was lucky she was such a fast learner. Her duties were mainly cleaning but, she had been told, if there was a party, her duties would extend to serving the guests. One thing she had been quick to learn was that the Young Master was – supposedly – devilishly handsome, flawlessly charming and quite the womaniser.

In other words, the sort of man she hated.

His parents, on the other hand, were clever and skilled, unlike him who had been handed everything on a plate. Again, this irked her. But what irked her more was that his parents' business required them to be away travelling. And so, the Young Master was left in charge of the house and the servants. Which basically meant he could fire people for not going along with his whims.

And it pissed her off.

Luckily, she was a hard worker and took on the worst jobs to deliberately stay out of his way. For the rumours were awful, too.

It was said that, if he spotted any maid he hadn't seen before, he would flirt with them. Then, after a couple of days doing so, he would request her to be his "personal maid". This would turn into any number of heinous acts, all while he told them he loved them.

And so, Heather was his next victim. And Alice had nothing she could do to stop it. Even if she did, she was sure to be painted as the bad guy in all of it. She sighed and gathered her things for the day's work.

The next day, Alice had just finished cleaning a sitting room that the Young Master was going to be using later that night when she heard the door open. She turned to see an ecstatic Heather standing in the doorway.

"Heather?" she said, puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to be with-?"

"Alice!" exclaimed Heather. "You will not _believe_ what's going to be happening on Saturday!"

"Um, it's a full moon?" asked Alice, very confused.

"The Young Master is having a ball! We'll all have to serve the guests so you'll finally get to see him! His golden locks! His blue eyes which make you feel as though you're floating! His charming personality! His accent!" Heather shuddered with pleasure. Alice resisted the urge to gag.

"That's… That's great!" said Alice, trying to feign enthusiasm.

Bonneville Manor woke the next day to a thin layer of snow covering the entire estate. The fir trees lining the drive looked ready for Christmas. The fountain at the centre of the driveway had frozen in time, water hanging in icicles from the statue. Little clouds of fog drifted from the stables, the horses cowering inside for what little warmth they could get. The many flowers and bushes emerging from the snow appeared triumphant, bright against the snow with their reds and blues.

The mansion itself looked like something from a fairy tale with its turrets and the dashing of snow. It was reminiscent of a gingerbread house. Vines of roses climbed the walls, their bright buds giving the appearance of sweets stuck in the wall.

In short, it looked quite magical. Or it would if Alice hadn't been woken earlier than normal by her roommate.

Alice had woken in their dark room before her alarm had rung. Rolling over, she had checked the time to find it was 5am. The clockwork alarm would ring at 6am. Annoyed, she wondered what had awoken her until she heard the sound which had filtered through to her sleeping brain. A sigh.

Glancing over, Alice had seen Heather, brushing her long brown locks, using a candle to stare into the mirror and sighing. Sensing movement, Heather had turned around. "Ah, you're awake, Alice!" she had exclaimed. "Come help me, please – I need to look my best today!" Alice had groaned in response.

After much cajoling, Alice had finally risen to help Heather tease her hair into a complicated bun before helping with her make-up and her dress. Heather had picked out a "pretty" pale pink dress and was intent on wearing that instead of her uniform. Alice had sighed and tried to point out the frivolity of her actions but her friend had not listened.

After that, Alice had seen no point in trying to catch up on sleep and so had gotten herself ready as well. She wore her uniform – a traditional maid's uniform; thick, long and black with a white apron over it. Her black shoes were sensible, unlike Heather's fancy pink shoes. She wore no make-up – she wouldn't need it. As for her long, blonde hair, she tied it in her usual style: a pair of bunches. Or pigtails as she had heard them referred to. Her green eyes reflected the candlelight flickering in the mirror as she finally smoothed her dress down, ready for work.

It would also look magical, thought Alice, if one had not been forced to work at the party.

Upon arriving at the kitchen to be told her workload, she had discovered all the other maids in various fancy dresses and hairstyles chattering, the cook staring at them in disbelief. The main butler, Antonio, was also there, as was the head gardener, Gilbert. Gilbert was leaning back on the table, grinning at all the girls, winking at a few of them. The girls ignored him. Antonio, meanwhile, was looking at his watch before he looked up at them as they entered.

"¡Muy bien!" exclaimed Antonio. "Now that we are all here, I will allocate the duties of everyone for today. Several of you will have special duties due to the party and I will read out the names of those who will be attending it – in their uniforms, sí?" He glanced up at the girls wearing different dresses and flashed them an apologetic smile. A few of the girls giggled, turning to each other and whispering. "The following people will be serving the guests tonight," Antonio continued.

Alice zoned out, wondering exactly how much more work she would have to undertake because of the redistribution of her workmates. She tried to work out how many rooms she would have to clean while the guests were frolicking if there were only half of the usual amount of maids. Probably around…

"Alice!" exclaimed Heather. Alice blinked and glanced at her friend. "Didn't you hear Mr. Carriedo?"

"Ah, sorry?" said Alice, glancing at the butler.

"He said your name, silly! You and I are going to be serving guests at the party! It's going to be super fun!"

Alice nodded and tried to smile, a grimace appearing on her face instead. She would really rather not be a "chosen one"…

**_Ah, I forgot to add in an Author's Note. Whoops. _**

**_Anyway, not sure if I mentioned this anyway but this is set in a slightly alternate Victorian England. Kinda like Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler. Mainly for convenience sake, like with the alarm clock and what not._**

**_The first thing Antonio says is "Alright!"  
_**

**_I don't think there's anything else I need to point except that the rating is so high because I wasn't sure if some of the things that happen later would be considered that, etc.  
_**


	2. Party to Information

****_**I keep forgetting to add these notes. Ah, well - doing it now. :)**_

_**Anyways, so many people following this! So many favourites! Thank you all! Especially since I don't think the first chapter was all that great... I never do... Hopefully this one's okay, too.  
**_

* * *

Alice stared at the people surrounding her as she walked up and down the ballroom, every so often stopping when someone made a grab at a glass on her tray. They all looked so ridiculous. The women, probably in some vain attempt at trying to be noticed by the Young Master, had gone all out, wearing fancy, bright dresses and huge hairpieces. The men, meanwhile, had made sure their appearance was as "handsome" as possible in an attempt to keep their ladies attention on them.

"Tsk," Alice muttered under her breath. If she had been invited, she would have worn something much plainer than these. And she would _certainly_ have kept well away from the Young Master.

Speaking of the Young Master…

"Have you seen him yet?" Heather hissed to her as she appeared at her elbow. Alice just rolled her eyes. Eagerly, Heather twirled round, the empty glasses on her tray clinking together. "I can't see him just now – it's such a shame! I can't wait till you see him! You're going to be so amazed!"

Alice sighed. "You really should take that away – before you drop one…" She nodded at the tray, upon which one of the tall champagne glasses had fallen against the rest. Heather gave an embarrassed giggle and righted it before hurrying off.

Alice sighed once again, glad she was good at keeping her temper in check. For the most part, anyway.

She turned away and began to walk through the chattering crowd again. Finding a spot to stand where she wouldn't be jostled so much, she gazed over the crowd, wondering where the Young Master was (so she could avoid the area he was). However, there didn't seem to be a gaggle of girls gathered in the one spot, like she expected. She shrugged it off and decided that, if she just kept her head down, it would be unlikely he would spot her or that she would wander into his vicinity.

As she scanned the crowd, she noticed a man and woman standing a little away from everyone else. She didn't think anything of it until she noted that everyone else close enough to see them kept glancing at them. She surveyed them.

The woman was wearing an outrageous costume. Indeed, she looked like a peacock, the way her bustle rose over her head. Alice wondered if that was supposed to be the desired effect. It was highlighted by the tall blonde hair precariously balanced on her head. It had a lot of unnecessary curls and loops in it. It looked rather more like a wig than her real hair but Alice knew better – the woman would be in a lot of pain, especially wearing a corset as well. She jiggled when she laughed. Alice grimaced.

The man beside her, however… Well, there was no denying he was attractive in looks. He was wearing a sharp suit with a waistcoat and cravat, the plain colours offset by a red rose stuck in his lapel. His blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, the black ribbon tied in a bow. It was simplistic, yet Alice could tell even from this distance that it drew more notice to his natural features.

As Alice watched, he leaned towards the young woman, a rose appearing in his hand. He handed it to her and she blushed – though Alice could tell she was incredibly excited and smug. The girl glanced at a group of women not far from her; they glared at her.

Meanwhile, Alice saw the man scanning the crowd. She wondered what he was looking for until she saw his gaze lingering on other woman. She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

And then their eyes met. _Shit!_ thought Alice and turned around. A man, who had been behind her, stopped her and picked up a glass from her tray. Which she noticed was the last one. She sighed. Now she had to go back to the kitchen – all this back and forth was getting on her nerves.

Just as she was about to step away, she felt something wrap around her waist. Alarmed, she gasped, about to cry out when she felt a presence by her shoulder and a breath on her neck. Her eyes widened as she shivered.

"Bonjour, cher," said a man's voice softly into her ear. She felt herself pulled back by his grip. "I have not seen you here before…"

With a cry, Alice spun round, using her tray to whack the man on the side of his head. The man she had just been watching cried out and stumbled backwards, falling over into a sitting position.

The room went silent. The man on the floor looked up at Alice with fear in his blue eyes, holding his head where she had struck him. Alice's emerald ones stared at him as she huffed, her heart racing.

Suddenly, she snapped at him. "Don't do something like that, as though you own me! You shouldn't touch a lady like that!"

She noticed movement and glanced up to see Antonio and Gilbert coming forward in their coat-tails to help the man. They seemed amused. In fact, now that she looked again, the man seemed to be smiling in mild amusement.

Feeling someone pulling at her dress, she turned to see Heather at her elbow. "Alice," she whispered, taking the tray from her. "Follow me."

Alice blinked. Heather was being a lot more serious than normal so Alice decided she had better follow. Glancing over her shoulder at the man who was now on his feet, she noted that he was ignoring the people around him. He was staring after her…

"He's… Who?!" exclaimed Alice in the kitchen. She was sitting, gaping at Heather on the other side of the table. The cooks were busily moving around them, ignoring them. Some of the maids, however, were gathered, glaring at Alice.

Heather sighed, impatient. "He's the Young Master. You just hit Francis Bonnefoy with a tray in front of all his guests…"

Alice's mouth hung open as she stared in disbelief at her colleague. _Shit!_ she thought. _I can't afford to lose this job! I need the money. Oh, God, what should I do?!_

Heather gestured to a maid and she came forward, handing a cloth to Alice which was in a bundle. Alice took it and yelped in surprise. It was cold.

"Take this to him and apologise," said Heather. "I'm sure he'll forgive you – Francis is like that…" She trailed off and sighed dreamily before snapping back to attention. "I-I mean, the Young Master…"

Alice sighed and nodded. She glanced at the glaring women around her and wordlessly left the kitchen, making her way back to the ballroom. She stopped just outside the doors as she spotted Gilbert and Antonio.

"Kesesesese!" laughed Gilbert. "Here she comes, Tonio!" He grinned at her, jeering. "Did you find out who he was, ja?" Alice just glared at him.

"Gil, don't be so harsh," said Antonio with a smile. "You look unhappy, señorita. You should try to smile, sí?" Alice rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine. Where is he?" she asked them, thinking this would get her to him quicker. Gilbert and Antonio looked at each other, looking wary. Frowning a little, she held up the cloth. "I have something for his head."

Gilbert shrugged and Antonio turned to her, holding out his hand. "I shall take that to him, sí?"

Alice looked at him for a moment, trying to work out what they were up to. "No, I need to… apologise, too…"

Antonio looked as though he was about to insist until Gilbert pulled him back slightly, laughing. "Kesesesese! He is on the veranda." Gilbert pointed through the open doors at the French windows on the other side of the room.

Alice frowned at them, suspicious but nodded at them. "Thank you," she said as she passed by them. In the room, she had to keep to the walls while the guests danced to the music which had started up. Soon enough, undisturbed, she reached the windows and opened one, stepping outside. The wind whipped her hair about her and her skirts flapped around her legs. She shivered. Quickly, she shut the door so as not to make any of the guests cold before glancing around.

The Young Master was, indeed, there. So was the woman Alice had spotted him with earlier.

The costumed peacock giggled at something the Young Master had just said, blushing. She put her hands to her face and said, "Oh, Missure Bonnefoy! You are making me embarrassed!" Alice saw Mr Bonnefoy stiffen at the incorrect pronunciation.

Alice felt her anger rise. This man was supposed to be hurt and instead he was flirting with women as if nothing had happened?! All the while, no doubt, planning her dismissal in the morning. _Bastard!_

Annoyed, she decided to interrupt the "romantic" scene. "Sir," she said, loud enough to be heard. She was satisfied by their reaction: the woman gasped and spun round to look at her, now truthfully embarrassed; the Frenchman turned, eyes wide, and winced in pain from the earlier hit. "I have brought you something for your head, Young Master." She stalked forward and handed it to him. "I want to apologise for earlier. I had a shock when I heard you speaking into my ear, you see. Awfully sorry. Now, I should go back to my work, sir, unless there is anything else…?" She left the question hanging even as she turned and walked back to the door, opening it and re-entering the room.

The next morning, when Alice had dressed and made her way to the kitchen like normal (except she knew she had extra duties due to the guests who were staying over), she was surprised to be stopped in the hallway outside by Antonio.

"Ah, Alice," he said as she slowed to a stop. "Could you follow me, por favor?" Alice nodded and wordlessly followed, inwardly fretting that this was, indeed, her inevitable dismissal.

However, upon following him through the corridors of the manor, she realised that he wasn't taking her to the butler's room for dismissal. Rather, they appeared to be heading to the Young Master's room.

_Hm… So it's this bad? I wonder what he'll demand I do as a repercussion…_

They soon arrived and Antonio knocked on the door before opening it for Alice to enter. Inside was a seating area with two doors leading in opposite directions. One presumably led to the Frenchman's bathroom and the other to his bedroom. A round table was set in the middle of the space along with several comfortable chairs. Gilbert was reclining in one of them.

_Doesn't he ever do his job?_ Alice thought as she was told to sit down. She clasped her hands in her lap once she had done so, obediently. Meanwhile Antonio walked off to one of the other doors and knocked lightly on it. He opened it slightly and poked his head round, presumably speaking with Francis before retreating and shutting the door behind him. Alice watched this, ignoring Gilbert who was laughing under his breath.

As the door opened once again, Alice glanced up. The Young Master appeared, wearing a pale blue dressing gown. Alice noted his bare legs and blushed, glancing away again before glaring up at Gilbert as he laughed a little louder.

"Cher!" Alice's master exclaimed, cheerily. Startled by his tone, she looked up at him. He was smiling down at her and had already crossed the distance to a nearby chair. He sat down on it, leaning towards her. "Your name is Alice, oui?" Alice nodded. "Well… What you did last night…" Alice braced herself for the inevitable fallout.

"Let us forget about that, oui?"

"Huh?" said Alice, gaping at Francis, losing her composure. "Wh-What?!"

"After all," Francis continued, smirking slightly at her surprise, "I was not behaving rather appropriately for a ball."

Finally, Alice closed her mouth. "Oh," she said. "Well… If that is all, Young Master-?"

Francis interrupted her. "Désolé, but I would like to discuss your duties today."

Alice stared at him for a moment. "Du… ties…?" she said, hesitantly.

Francis nodded. "Today, I would like for you to be my personal maid, assisting Tonio, s'il vous plaît. Now, if you will excuse me, I have matters to attend to…" He rose and walked around the chair, heading back to his room. Alice just stared after him. She watched as he opened his door and walked in. She heard a murmur of voices before the door shut.

Alice immediately turned to the butler and head gardener. "Did he just-?"

"Ja. Kesesese!" said Gilbert.

"Like all the-?"

"Sí," agreed Antonio with a nod.

"Ah…" said Alice, slumping in defeat. _Well… shit._

* * *

_**Pfft. I was tempted to have Antonio give Alice a cheer-up charm...**  
_

_**Well, I've had ideas for other fan fics so I might leave off this for a wee while - but not for too long cause it's fun to write. :)  
**_

_**Er, if there's anything you want to know, you can always ask me. :)  
**_


	3. Everything's Rosy

****_**Well, I guess you lot like this story, huh? :P  
**_

_**I would like to apologise in advance for Francis' accent. I don't seem to have the balance right... I think I shall put ze accent only when 'e is excited or tired. Or something like that.  
**_

* * *

It was nearing the end of a rather stressful day for Alice. She had been spending the day with duties revolving around the Young Master. She had found him numerous bottles of wine, cleaned glasses, stoked the fires, made sure that he was entertained. In short, she was given a lot of unnecessary tasks to perform (as they could have been performed by Antonio), all the while being near her boss. And, by now, she was finding it rather hard to control her temper.

She smoothed the bed covers for what felt like the hundredth time and turned to leave the room – only to find Francis standing in the doorway. She held back a sigh. "Your bed is ready for you, sir."

"Elle effet il est," muttered Francis with a small smile, gazing at her. Alice flinched. She hated the way he looked at her, like a hungry wolf. She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. Fifteen minutes until her curfew. And she still had to walk through the house…

"Sir…" she said, glancing back at him. "I must leave you now so I do not get into trouble." She walked to the door, stopping a couple of paces away from him. He was blocking the door and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "It will be alright if I leave now, will it not, sir?"

Francis didn't move for a few seconds. Alice narrowed her eyes, prepared to ask a little more harshly when, suddenly, there was movement and her master was incredibly close. She gasped and tried to take a step backwards. However, she couldn't move as Francis was holding her wrist, pulling her towards him.

"You do not need to leave," he murmured into her ear, his breath tickling her neck and making her shiver.

"Enough!" snapped Alice, wrenching her arm from his grasp and backing up. "Sir," she added after a few moments of silence. "I really do have to go, sir – there is not enough room here."

Francis sighed, still smiling fondly at her. "There is plenty of room, ma petite fleur."

Alice shook her head. "I don't care. I'm going to my room and to bed." She smirked a little. "It's been a pleasure, sir," she told him, a little sarcastically, curtseying as she did so. She made her way past him and to the door.

"Are you sure you want to go, cher?" said Francis' voice behind her. Alice breathed out, almost in a sigh and turned to see what he was going on about now. The sight that met her was alarming.

Francis' dinner jacket and waistcoat were on the ground. His top was undone halfway, his chest showing in a rather taboo sort of way. The man himself was lying on the bed, one leg bent so that his legs were spread a little. Alice presumed this was supposed to be provocative.

For a moment, she just stared. Then she curtseyed, turned and shut the door behind her as she left.

The next day, Alice was once again intercepted by Antonio. This time, she was sure she was going to be thrown out of the mansion. After all, she had turned down the boss' advances – and in such a blunt way.

When she had got back the night before, Heather had been aghast. How could anyone be invited to spend the night with the Young Master – and turn him down? How could anyone resist his charm or his looks? Alice had just ignored her and hid under the covers, trying to get some sleep.

Now, she would be fired. And, from the route they were taking through the mansion, she would be told that by the Young Master himself. She tried to think of an upside to this. At least she would never have to see him again. That would definitely be a good thing. She'd probably be dead within a week, what with no income, so at least she wouldn't have to do all of this dull work. And-

Her train of thought stopped as she realised that she was actually in Francis' room. Gilbert and Antonio were again both present. Ignoring them, mostly, she sat down like last time and waited. This time, Francis appeared from the bathroom, still in just his dressing gown. Believing she really would be fired, she rolled her eyes. "Typical," she muttered under her breath.

Francis sat down in the same seat as last time, crossing the room to do so. Again he leaned towards her. Alice stared back at him, impassively. "Mademoiselle…" he began. She stared back. "I wish for you to serve me like you did yesterday."

Alice stared. "A-Again?!"

"Oui!" said Francis, smirking a little. "And every day until I say otherwise."

_Until I get into your bed, huh?_ Alice glared at him for a second before rearranging her face and nodding. "Yes, sir…"

Over the next few weeks, Alice was one of the constant companions of the Young Master. And every night, he would try various tactics to get Alice into bed with him. And every night, each of them failed. And at least half of the tactics resulted in him being hit violently and Alice stalking off. Of course, every morning, she would fret that she would lose her job – but Francis seemed determined to keep her until they had spent the night together.

One day, Francis seemed rather excited by something other than her. Alice watched him pace up and down in front of the window. "Sir…?" she said, trying to get his attention. He ignored her.

The other odd thing Alice had noticed was that Gilbert was nowhere to be found. Usually he was loafing around somewhere near Francis or Antonio. Alice doubted he was doing his job.

As she placed the china down on the table, the door slammed open. She gave a yelp and almost dropped the teapot (which was only for show – it was really full of wine). Thankfully, she saved it and placed it gently down before turning to see what the commotion was.

Gilbert was standing in the doorway, a grin on his face, panting. His clothes were dirtier than normal and he was wearing thick gloves and a pair of secateurs was in one of his hands. He rushed forwards.

"Kesesese! Francis! It's finished! Are you going to show-?" He broke off as Francis pulled him into a hug.

"Mon ami! Merci!" exclaimed Francis, excitedly. "Come, Alice, get your coat!"

"My coat?!" exclaimed Alice as Antonio appeared with the Young Master's coat and Francis rushed towards him. "But, Young Master, it's the middle of winter! If we go anywhere, we could get stuck in the snow!" She followed him, keeping pace as much as possible.

"Ah, cher, we are not going far. Do not worry!" Francis replied, cheerily.

Confused, Alice grabbed her coat from the coat hooks by the back door which they happened to be going through. She pulled it on and wrapped up as they hurried out into the cold.

She gasped along with Francis at the beauty facing them. Hundreds of roses were dotted around the garden in bushes and hedges. In fact, the way they had been planted, it looked as though they were walls.

"A-A labyrinth of roses?" said Alice, dumbstruck.

Francis nodded. "Zey 'ave been specially cultivated to bloom now. All with ze different colours available, cher. Mais, la plupart du temps rouge."

Alice nodded, wondering what the reason was. However, she didn't have long to wonder as, suddenly, her hand was grabbed by Francis. He dragged her into the corridor of flowers, colours flashing by her. "H-Hey!" she exclaimed.

"I want to show you ze centre, Alice!" Francis exclaimed.

Alice blinked, confused. She glanced at his face. He was glowing with excitement, his grin wide. He looked as though he was a child on Christmas morning. She resisted the urge to laugh. _The stupid git, getting this excited over a few flowers…_

Following some rather small signs (which Francis had insisted were included so he could easily find the centre with a woman in tow), they soon reached the centre. Once again, Alice was gobsmacked. There was a large garden swing installed, white and stark against the greenery surrounding it. White roses were dotted between red, entwined around the wood. It faced specially designed hedges containing one of each colour of rose. It almost seemed to sparkle and, to Alice, it looked like it had been taken from a fairy tale or a romance novel.

Francis pulled her to the swing and sat her down. He stayed standing as he asked her a question. "What do you zink of zis, cher?"

Alice glanced around. "I don't know why you're asking me… But…" She reached out to touch one of the white flowers beside her. "You placed me next to my favourite flower. So I can't complain."

Francis sat beside her, causing the seat to swing more, watching her leaning over to smell the scent flowing from the flowers. "You like ze white flowers?" he inquired.

Alice nodded, still staring at the flower. "They look so pure – as if they can be painted any colour. Become any one of them." She absentmindedly gestured at the others. _Unlike me…_

Realising she had said a bit too much about herself, she blushed before she turned to see his reaction. When she did so, Francis was already holding a white rose. He leaned towards her. Alice panicked, thinking he was going to try to kiss her. However, his hands moved and, suddenly, he was placing the flower in her hair.

"I think it suits you, cher," he whispered to her.

Alice reddened and leapt up. "I-I have to get things ready for dinner!" she exclaimed before hurrying off. Francis was left alone, swinging back and forth, staring after her, an odd expression on his face…

Later that night, after Alice had left his company to be in time for her curfew, Francis stood looking out at his roses, a glass of wine in one hand. He took a sip as the door opened behind him and Antonio and Gilbert entered the room.

"Hey, Francis! I take it you liked the garden?" said Gilbert, cheerily. Francis nodded in response. "A pity Alice did not take it so vell, eh? Kesesesese!"

Antonio clicked his tongue at Gilbert. "Do not be so mean to him, amigo. This is a big shock to him, after all…" The tone of his voice suggested that he was grinning, as amused as Gilbert.

"I zink…" murmured Francis before trailing off.

"Ja?" asked Gilbert, a confused tone in his voice.

Francis turned to them, a faraway look in his eyes. "I zink zat I am in love…" said Francis, smiling lightly.

There was a silence before Gilbert and Antonio laughed. "With Alice, si?" asked Antonio. "You mean like all the other senoritas, don't you?"

Francis shook his head. "Non. It ees more zan zat… zis time… J'adore Alice."

"Are you sure?" asked Gilbert, looking quite shocked.

"Oui."

"It is just… She does not seem that interested, Signor Francis."

Francis frowned a little at the comment. "I shall 'ave to see what 'appens, non?" He smiled at his friends before turning to look back out of the window, gazing at the swing. He wondered what she had done with the rose he had given her. He smiled at his dull reflection in the window. "J'adore Alice," he muttered again.

* * *

_**Again, sorry for the accents - it's kind of difficult to put them in...**_

_**Also, an explanation of the white rose being Alice's favourite. My personal opinion is this: Alice and Arthur are siblings and during the Wars of the Roses, Alice was on the losing side (the white roses) - which is why Arthur now represents England and the UK, mostly. Obviously, I had to come up with another reason for this alternate reality...  
**_

_**Another thing, I do apologise for not going into too much detail about the occasions where Francis tried to seduce Alice. It would have made this chapter way too long. And, I couldn't be bothered thinking about it too much...  
**_

_**Ah, at the end, I was going to have Francis say "I love her" in French but, when I Google Translated it, I got "Je 'laime." Which, when you translate it back to English means, "I love it." Which makes no sense. So I gave up and had him just say, "I love Alice."  
**_

_**You can probably Google Translate the other French but, I can just put the translations here, if you want?  
**_

_**Elle effet il est = Indeed it is.  
**_

_**Mais, la plupart du temps rouge. = But, mostly red.  
**_

_**Also the way I am going to write this is, write a chapter, write a one-shot/chapter for a different story, come back and write a story. Really, I would like to start all the ideas I have and write all the one-shots but it's way too much fun writing this one! :D  
**_


	4. Bonus Chapter

_**So, this isn't actually a plot relevant chapter... Doesn't advance the plot or provide backstory. It's just that I have this planned out for the most part and then this idea suddenly popped into my head. I've decided the best point in the chronological history would be at some point during the last chapter, probably before Francis said "I love you." Although, it would have to be after the white rose bit so, maybe he had it planned and that was before that as well? I don't know, but, this is **_**just_ a bonus chapter - like they do in manga, really..._**

* * *

Francis stood, gazing out of his window. He sighed. What should he do today?

"Sir? Are you alright?" asked a voice behind him. A voice he had grown to love. It made him tingle a little. It was a feeling that no other women could make him feel. He'd never really felt this way before.

He turned to face Alice, smiling lightly. "Non. Je suis d'accord."

Alice tilted her head, frowning questioningly. "I… don't know what you just said…"

"Ah, désolé. I said that I am okay. You need not worry, Alice." He smiled at her again. He was astonished to see her smile back.

"That's good. I…" She looked down and fiddled with her apron. "I was just… a little worried, is all…"

"_You_ were worried about me, cher?" asked Francis, surprised. He walked forward, taking her hands from the apron. He tilted his head and smiled at her. "That makes me 'appy, cher…"

Alice blushed. "I…" She wriggled a hand from his grasp and plunged it into her apron before pulling it back out again, holding the white rose he had given her. "I want to thank you for this, sir…"

Francis stared, his happiness growing. She had kept it! Perhaps this would be easier than he thought…

"You may call me Francis," he said before pulling her towards him, his free hand wrapping around her waist so he could hold her to him. She gave a small gasp and he smiled. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Call me Francis and call on me as much as you wish…" He leaned back to see her reaction. Her face was red but, otherwise, looked happy.

"Francis…" she breathed, almost fearfully. "Francis…" she said a little louder. "I-" Francis stopped her with a finger to her lips.

"Let us talk with our actions…" he murmured to her before removing his finger and leaning forward.

"Francis," she said again. Annoyance flashed in Francis' eyes for a second before the loving look came back. He closed his eyes.

"Hush, cher," he said. "Alice… I-"

"Francis!"

"Alice…" he murmured again, leaning forward more, prepared to kiss.

"Oi, Francis, you idiot! Would you open your eyes, already?!"

Confused, Francis hesitantly opened his eyes. He found himself lying in bed, Alice leaning over him, shaking his shoulder. Once she noticed he was awake she straightened up. "Finally!" she snapped, stalking off to open the curtains.

Rather rattled (mostly because he was a little aroused from his dream), Francis sat up, hesitantly, rubbing his eyes. Although, now that he was more awake, a couple of thoughts entered his head. Firstly, a panicked one, wondering if he had spoken in his sleep. The second was puzzlement as to why she hadn't opened the curtains first when that would surely have helped with waking him up.

"I'll let you get dressed," said Alice, walking to the door. She paused in the doorway, her hand on the door handle, prepared to close it behind her.

"Please don't ever dream about me again," she muttered just loud enough for him to hear and turn red before she pulled the door closed behind her…

He was doing it again. Asking her to do stupid things. Things no self-respecting person would ever agree to do. But, of course, she was a lesser citizen because she was a woman, expected to do things like this without complaining.

"You want me to do what?!" exclaimed Alice.

"Un massage, cher," Francis replied, his back to her. He was sitting on the bed where he had been when she had entered. She had only come in to extinguish the candles. Now he shrugged off his dressing gown before lying down. Thankfully, Alice didn't see anything from the front. She stared at him in disgust and panic.

"Wh-What?!" she exclaimed. She was getting fed up with this. She had managed to undertake numerous undignified tasks but, seeing him lying there, naked, was most definitely the last straw. She glanced around and noticed that one of the ropes for tying the heavy, red curtains was lying on the floor, detached from its hook. She crossed over to it and picked it up before going to the bed.

"Yes, sir," she mumbled. She knelt on the bed before crawling over to him. The best place would be… She straddled his waist, facing his head.

"Ah, cher…" said Francis, sounding happy. "You are embarrassing me," he added, teasingly.

Alice said nothing, taking an end of the rope in each hand. Then, abruptly, she leaned forward and slipped the rope around his neck. Then she pulled backwards on it. Francis made a satisfying gagging sound. "A-Alice!" he exclaimed.

"Shut up, shut up, you bastard!" Alice shouted at him. "You brought this on yourself! Stop trying to get me into your bed, for God's sake! And in such undignified ways! You bastard!"

"Alice!" Francis choked out.

"Shut up and die already!"

"Alice!" said Heather's voice from Francis' mouth. Alice froze. What the hell was that? "Alice!" exclaimed Francis, Heather's voice still emitting from him.

Alice blinked and, suddenly, she realised she was in bed, Heather shaking her, her hands gripping the blanket as if it was the rope. She gasped and relaxed as Heather sat on her own bed, looking rather shaken.

"Are you okay?" she asked, surveying Alice. "You were screaming and shouting about 'bastards' and 'beds'… You gave me such a fright. Was it a nightmare?"

"Sorry," murmured Alice. "Yeah, a nightmare…" _But, I suppose, not such a bad one…_

* * *

_**So, yeah, a bit of an explanation needed, methinks.**  
_

_**Although this does nothing of the plot, the second part certainly says something about Alice's character... Sort of...  
**_

_**The bit where she's on top of him, too - that was a bit more erotic than I intended... O.o Ah, well...  
**_

_**And, the last sentence - take that any way you want. :D  
**_


	5. To the Memory of a Saint

****_**Heh. This would have been up earlier if I hadn't been distracted by several different things. I blame everyone else!  
**_

* * *

Alice really wanted to go home. She was fed up with how everyone looked at her. The way they whispered behind their hands when she hurried by. Anything would be better than this. Their jealousy overflowed and infected her workspace, making her constantly irritated when it was anyone bar her, Francis, Gilbert and Antonio. Which, when she realised this, would irritate her, too.

The flower in her hair had made things worse. For, instead of going to set up the dining table, Alice had gone to her room, closing the door firmly behind her as her red face was enveloped in semi-darkness. Unfortunately, Heather was there. And she saw the flower before she had taken it out and thrown it to the ground. (Heather had later placed it on her pillow just before Alice had lain down to sleep and, as a result, it ended up on her bedside table beside her spectacles. She loathed the idea of throwing it away; it was, after all, her favourite flower and she wanted to respect it.)

Since then, the air of jealousy around Alice had grown. And the air of anger emitting from her had also grown. She spoke to people less. She completely ignored Francis' advances and refused to go for walks in the garden. Whenever he gave her flowers, she placed them in vases and left them in his room.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop him from following her when she went about her business. She had caught him a few times. Of course, it was always most noticeable when there were other people around; mainly because she could hear the maids getting excited from the mere presence of him.

A few times, he tried to send in Antonio and Gilbert in before him to distract them and Alice from the fact he was there. That didn't work so well, either, as the butler would get distracted from his task and the gardener would be ignored in favour of the Frenchman.

Most of the time, though, Francis would just watch her tidy the room around her. It was beginning to unnerve her. She wanted to ask why but had a vague inclination that she wouldn't want to know the answer.

At the moment, she was in the process of closing the curtains in Francis' rooms. The candles were all burning, providing a flickering light for the dim room. At this time of year, when it got dark so early in the day, all Alice ever wanted to do was to curl up with a good book beside the hearth. It was a shame she wouldn't be able to do that this year.

Finishing her task she went back to pour Francis some more of his wine. She glanced at the clock as she picked up the bottle. Only a few more hours to go… Tipping the bottle, she let enough pour in to fill the glass. Then she placed the bottle back and glanced at the Young Master. "Anything else-?" she began before looking at him more carefully. He was gloomily staring at the glass. After a pause, Alice sighed and tapped him on the shoulder. "Is something wrong?" she asked him as he jolted and looked up.

"Ah! Non, non, cher. I am fine," he replied, smiling at her. The look in his eyes unnerved Alice.

"Well, I was just trying to ask you if you would like me to do anything else for you…"

"Ah…" Francis stared into space for a moment. "Please, cher – what is ze date?"

Alice blinked at him for a moment. "Well… It's the thirteenth of February, I believe… Why? Is there something important happening soon?"

Francis chuckled. "As a matter of fact, there is. But it is nothing for you to worry about, cher. In fact… I believe you are in need of holiday, oui? Why don't you go to bed early? You don't need to get up until you awaken either, rather than a specific time!" He smiled at her.

Alice looked at him suspiciously. What was he up to? She stared at him for a moment, watching for any tells. He gazed back, an amused expression on his face. "Really…?"

"Oui, mon amour," Francis said, quietly.

Alice hesitated before nodding and curtseying. "Thank you, sir…" she said before leaving, walking past Antonio and Gilbert on the way out. As she walked to her room, she brooded: it just wasn't like him to let her go away early. Was there something wrong? Was he ill? Had _she_ done something wrong? Should she apologise?

_Wait, why am I worrying about that git?_ She shook her head, glaring at her reflection as she passed a mirror. _I'll go to bed, get some sleep and everything will be back to normal in the morning…_

She couldn't have been more wrong…

When Alice slowly came to her senses the next day, she was first struck by the smell. It was a rather strong and sweet smell. _Like roses… Does Heather have a new scent?_ She rolled over, still rather tired and tried to bury her head in her pillow to obstruct the smell. "'oo spr'ed 'oo 'uch o' tha'…" she mumbled into the pillow.

"Alice?" came Heather's voice surprisingly close to Alice's bed. "Is that you awake now?" Alice just grunted. "I really think you should wake up…"

Confused, Alice sat up and, rubbing at her eyes, felt around for her glasses. She was surprised to feel something soft on the bedside cabinet beside them. After regaining her ability to see, Alice looked around.

"What the-?"

The entire room seemed to have gotten a red and white carpet overnight. So had their beds. In fact, every surface was covered in red and white. On closer inspection, Alice realised they were roses. Lots of roses.

She let herself fall back into her bed, closing her eyes. "This had better not be _his_ fault…" she mumbled, unaware that a very jealous Heather was glaring at her.

An idea struck the green-eyed Heather and she cleared her throat. "I wonder when they did this…?" she said, her voice layered in honey. "After all, it wasn't like this before we went to sleep…" The young girl satisfied herself with the sight of Alice's body stiffening and her eyes flying open.

"_That_… _BASTARD_! He sneaked in while we were-?!" Alice hissed. She jolted upright. "That does it!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to talk to him about this! I've had enough!" She was so enraged that she was unaware of Heather sitting on her bed, sniggering quietly behind her hand.

Alice clambered out of bed and hurried over to the wardrobe so she could get dressed before leaving their room. Throwing open the doors in a rage, she was unprepared for what she found there. She froze and stared into it.

"Wha-? Wh-?"

Heather looked over at her roommate. What had gotten into her, she wondered. She got up and walked over, peering in as well.

Inside, none of their uniforms were present. Instead were two dresses, one for each of them. A large tag denoted which one was Heather's – a pale green affair. And quite a pretty dress, too.

"Well, it's not so bad," said Heather, happily as she noticed the tag had been written out by Francis himself, including kisses. She glanced at Alice who was still staring in shock at her own dress. Or was that horror…?

Heather looked at the dress left for Alice. She stared too.

It was covered in roses – that was the simple way of describing it. The bodice of the dress and the short sleeves were white. Fake white roses were sewn onto the sleeves. The skirt itself was pink, the same colour of roses sewn along the hem. Other roses had been sewn on at seemingly random intervals so that Alice would look like a walking rose bush if she were to wear it.

"D-Does he… expect… me to… wear… that?" Alice croaked out.

"It looks like it," said Heather, still staring at the dress.

There was silence for a moment. Then Alice dropped to her knees and let out a scream. "_**THAT FUCKING BASTARD!**_"

Heather was rather startled before realising that, what with everything that had happened to Alice over the last few weeks, it was surprising that she hadn't had a breakdown yet. Feeling rather guilty, she patted Alice's shoulder. "I'll help you get dressed," she said quietly. Alice reluctantly nodded and stood up. "Just sit on your bed for now; I need to get dressed first." Again, Alice nodded before slumping down onto the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. She was trembling with fury – she nearly snapped at Heather when she touched her shoulder to get her attention. Looking up, she saw that Heather was ready. She stood up again and slipped off her nightdress. Letting Heather help, she managed to don the dress.

Then she went over to the dressing table to brush her hair and tie it up. When she looked for her hair things, though, all she could find was a large, red rose clasp. "He stole my hair things, too?!" Alice shrieked, startling Heather. Slamming down her brush Alice stood up. "That does it! That _definitely_ does it! I'll- I'll- That- AAAARGGGH!"

And with that, Alice stormed out of the room – and directly into the path of Antonio and Gilbert. "Ah, sorry," said Alice distractedly before noticing their faces. "Are-Are you two not well?"

Both men were bleary-eyed. In fact, one would think they had been up all night. Gilbert only grunted in reply. Antonio, however, slowly lifted his gaze to her. "Buenos días, señorita. Estás muy guapa hoy. Espera ... ¿Dónde está tu flor del cabello?" he said to her.

Alice clicked her tongue. "I have no idea-!" began Alice but, suddenly, Antonio stomped into the room. Alarmed, she turned and followed him back in. "What the hell are you doing?!" she exclaimed. Antonio didn't answer her and, instead, grabbed the rose clasp. Then he turned to her and grabbed her arm so she couldn't move. Carefully, he pinned up her hair as much as possible, the flower now attached to the side of her head at an angle. "Hey!" she exclaimed.

Antonio ignored her, speaking to Gilbert instead. "Ahora, a la cama." And, with that, they both left.

Francis was innocently sipping on his first glass of wine of the day when Alice barged in. "What the _hell_ is the meaning of all this?!" she demanded, crossing her arms as she did so. She tapped her foot.

"Ah, cher!" exclaimed Francis who was suspiciously upbeat and cheerful compared to the two men Alice had bumped into earlier. "I see you have found my present!"

"Present?" Alice snapped. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's Valentine's Day, cher!"

Alice froze. _Dammit! I should have remembered yesterday and made sure I wasn't here…_

"I 'ave given presents to everyone, cher. And, look!" Francis gestured around the room. Looking round, she realised that the room was covered in red roses. Here and there, a white rose stuck its head out from its companions, intent on catching her eye.

Now that she thought about it, she had passed by several vases full of roses on the way to the room. So many as to almost change the halls into a garden.

"Did you really…?" Alice sighed. "And, by any chance, did you have a couple of little helpers last night?"

Francis grinned. "Oui. And zey have gone to bed so you shall have to keep me company all day, ma douce."

Alice scowled at him. "You planned all this, you sneaky bastard… I won't forget this – or forgive you! Give me back my things!"

Francis faked an expression of shock. "Ah, non, cher, I cannot do zat. It would spoil the ambience." He smiled at her. "Come, we should spend the day together."

"Well, I'm not happy about this, so don't expect me to smile, you French tosser." She glared at him before obediently walking to the table and flopping down in the seat opposite him.

The day had passed fairly quickly. Most people say that 'time flies when you're having fun' – Alice's day had been a mix of having fun and being annoyed at Francis. Especially when he pointed out her smiling.

Thus far, they had breakfasted together, walked in the garden together, had luncheon together, played billiards and cards together, and, finally, had dinner together. Back in Francis' rooms, Alice felt more exhausted than when she was working. Francis guided her to an armchair by the window.

"Sit here, cher. I have to speak with you," he murmured, smiling lightly at her.

This woke Alice up a little. "We need to talk?" she said, perching on the chair. _This is it. This is me getting fired. It's funny, though… I thought I'd be a lot more relieved…_

"Oui," sighed Francis, sitting in another chair. "I… have to confess something…"

_Confess? What is this? I'm no priest… What the hell is going on now?_ "Confess… To me?"

"Oui. Alice… Je t'ai-"

"You're speaking in French again!" exclaimed Alice. "You know I don't-"

"I love you."

There was a silence interrupted only by the ticking of the grandfather clock by the door. Not even their breathing could be heard as Francis held his breath and Alice stared at him in shock.

"E-Eh?!" exclaimed Alice, finally. "Wh-What did you just say?!"

Francis rose from his chair and crossed to her, dropping to his knees beside her. He grabbed her hands in his and Alice realised her was trembling a little. "I said, 'I love you.' I love you, Alice. I… Je t'aime!"

Alice stared at him. _Ah, what? What is this? Is this for real? Wait, of course it isn't! He's probably said this to all the other girls he managed to get into his bed!_ She smirked at him and yanked her hands away. "I thought I told you to stop trying to sweet talk me into your bed?" she said. "If you've quite finished, I think I should go back-"

"Non!" exclaimed Francis, clutching at the skirt of her dress. "Non! It ees not like zat, cher! Je t'aime! I promise you! I love you!"

Alice paused and looked into his sapphire eyes. They were earnest and desperate. In fact, his whole composure screamed desperation. He was really telling the truth.

_Hey. Hey, wait. What do I do now? What do I do? What do I say to him? I don't… What excuse can I use to make him understand? Well, there's _that_ but… _he _might not think highly of me afterwards. What do I do? Should I say it?_

"Alice?" said Francis, frowning a little.

"I… I…"

"You love me, too, cher?" said Francis, excitedly.

"No! That's not what I was going to say!" exclaimed Alice. "I… I can't love you."

"Quoi? But… You were clearly enjoying my company earlier!" Francis looked confused.

Alice sighed. "That's because it felt like a holiday. It felt… Anyway, the point is – I can't love you. Ever."

"Can't or won't?" asked Francis, frowning now.

"I _can't_!" Alice insisted. "Because… I… already have a fiancé."

* * *

_**The Spanish is: "Good morning, miss. You look nice today. Wait... Where is your hair flower?" And then, "Now, to bed."**_

_**"Mon douce" means "my sweet". (Probably not in the way I intended it but, too late now.)  
**_

_**I hope you like cliffhangers because, not only is there going to be a lot more of them, things are going to get more complicated from now on. :) (I'm awful for that sort of stuff.)  
**_

_**Also... today... finishing this off. This was a nightmare... But, done now, so, yay!  
**_

_**Also, I really, really hate Heather. I wish my mind hadn't created her. Thankfully, this **_**should _be the last we see of her..._**

**_But if she does reappear... *shudders*  
_**

**_Mais, c'est la vie!  
_**


	6. Don't Ignore Me!

****_**I do apologise for the cliffhanger, heh. Not that I'll stop with those sorts of things. Anyway, here's the next chapter. This one is mostly dialogue. And I hope the bit with them all talking at once actually makes sense who is saying what. If you can't, I apologise in advance.  
**_

* * *

Alice had expected Francis to fire her after her revelation. If not that, then, at least, send her back to her menial labour. Neither of these options was undertaken, however. Instead, Francis chose to tell her that he would try his best to capture her attention more than her fiancé and kept her by his side.

The only difference was the constant barrage of questions about who her fiancé was. She, of course, refused to tell him. He refused to give in. Alice was sure he was suspicious about her sudden mention of a love interest in her life besides him. Not that she would call her "fiancé" her "love interest".

A week after Valentine's Day, Alice got up and, once again, was intercepted by Antonio as she headed for her breakfast. "Lo siento, Alice," he said. "There is a visitor in the drawing room with Francis. They want to see you.

"'They'?" she asked, confused. "Who's 'they'?"

"Ah, I think you shall find out soon, senorita…"

Alice frowned and followed him. She had a bad feeling about this…

They entered Francis' chambers and Alice immediately knew her bad feeling had been right. There were three men in the room that she immediately recognised – and she wished she didn't.

Firstly, the footman, who was blonde, a strand of hair sticking up in a curl. His violet eyes behind his spectacles were bright even if his expression was one of regret when he saw her. Next was the butler, a man with black hair and dark eyes, his expression unreadable – Alice never knew what he was thinking. Finally, sitting in a chair opposite Francis was a man with blonde hair, a cowlick sticking up. His blue eyes blazed with the same intensity as Francis and he was grinning at her as she appeared.

"A-Alfred!" exclaimed Alice. "What are you doing here?!"

"Alice!" shouted Alfred, jumping up. "You're here! Yay!"

Alice stayed where she was and scowled at him. "You never answered the question, idiot!"

"Ah, I'm here to see you, of course!"

"'See me'?" Alice said in disbelief. "Do you mean '_save_ me'? Because I don't need saving!"

Alfred laughed loudly at her statement. "HAHAHA! You're very funny, Alice! No, I came here 'cause I've heard that your family have raised enough funds to recover your stuff!"

"Stuff?" asked Antonio who had followed Alice in.

"Yeah! Her parents' mansion and lands and servants and stuff!" exclaimed Alfred.

"Alfred!" Alice cried out.

"Mansion?!" exclaimed Gilbert from across the room. Alice hadn't even realised he was there. She glanced at him, glaring. Gilbert just stared back, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Alfred. "Anyway, Alice, I need to ask you something!"

"Huh?" asked Alice who had been purposely avoiding trying to see Francis' reaction. "What is it now?!"

Alfred grinned and dropped down on one knee. "I know the last engagement was cancelled – but will you marry me now?"

Alice gaped at the man on the floor who was still grinning confidently at her. Her face turned red. "Wh-What are you _saying_?!"

"Well, it's not like my family can make any objections on the subject of status, now, can they?!" said Alfred excitedly, standing up and taking Alice's hands in his. Alice tried to pull away but he was holding on tightly and was a lot stronger than her.

She heard someone clear their throat and she glanced over. Francis had risen from his chair and was making his way towards them. "Excusez-moi, Monsieur Jones. What is going on 'ere? I was under ze impression zat Alice already has a fiancé. Also, what are you meaning with zis talk of mansions and land?"

Alice looked away, guilty, staring into space. She glanced at the two servants Alfred had brought with him. Matthew, the footman, was looking at her apologetically. Kiku, the butler, on the other hand, was watching the scene with a blank expression.

"Huh? What're you talkin' 'bout? Alice is a noble just like you and me! Her family lost a lot of their money and were being stripped of their titles and land. So they've all pitched in to make money in order to buy the stuff back. 'Course, they've pretty much got enough now, or so I heard!"

"She is a noble?!" exclaimed Francis, surprised. His face turned red as if he was embarrassed about something – perhaps the fact that Alice now knew his secrets from the servants' point of view.

"Er, yes," said Alfred, simply. "And, as for the fiancé thing… I wonder if she means me…"

Alice glanced at Alfred who was watching her. She glanced away again, staring at the clock. _Dammit! He wasn't supposed to find out!_

"Yes, she means me!" Alfred confirmed with a grin.

"Zen… why are you asking her to marry you?"

"Ah," said Alfred, grimacing. "My parents called off the engagement after finding out about their downfall from nobility. But I want to put engagement back on the table! And I can be a hero, too!"

"Hero?!" asked Alice with a grimace, knowing what was coming.

"Yeah, I get to save you from working here and the awful experience of being a servant!"

Alice glanced around the room, at the people who actually were servants and were in the majority. "Alfred, stop being so tactless! And I don't need saved. As you say, my family has enough money. They will send me a letter once they have reacquired our mansion and then I will be going home. And you know I can't agree to marriage without my parents' permission!"

"Ah, so you were being forced, mon cher?" said Francis, who now looked alarmed.

"Forced?" Alice said, confused.

"Oui. To marry 'im. And, as such, _I_ shall be ze one to save you from _'im_!"

Alfred pouted. "But I'm not forcing her! It's my parents. Besides, I really do like her, too. I _want_ to marry her. And you want to marry me, too, right, Alice?"

"Well…"

"Non! I will not allow it! I love her, too! I will not back down from zis!"

"Hey, hang on-"

"Ha, no way am I going to leave her here with you!" exclaimed Alfred, looking determined. "You're the bad guy in this situation and I'll definitely save Alice!"

"Oh, come _on-_"

"Je l'aime!" snapped Francis. "So why would I be the 'bad guy'? Ze villain in this piece is obviously you, trying to take her away with you!"

"Could you please-?"

"I'm not trying to _take_ her away! She doesn't need to if she doesn't want to! But I doubt she loves you, anyway!" said Alfred, his arms folded.

"Well, he's got _that_ ri-"

"Zat is not the issue 'ere!" exclaimed Francis, angrily. "Ze issue is zat you seem to zink zat I will give up on 'er easily! I'll never give up on 'er!"

Alice blushed. "Hey, don't say thing-"

"Well, I won't give up, either! I'll win her over by saving her, just like all those princesses in stories – because she's _my_ princess!"

Alice's blush spread. "Hey, stop doing-"

"Well, zen, I suggest you leave, as I will be the one to win!"

"Would you two-"

"Win?" said Alfred before pausing to think. "That's it! We'll have a contest to see who will win over Alice's affections! The first one to do that will win!"

"Hey, now, wait a min-"

"A contest… What would zat entail?"

"Not you, t-"

"Well, we do things for Alice which we think she'll like and then… Well, she'll have to judge…"

"Stop!" exclaimed Alice, intent on continuing but, once again, she was interrupted.

"Zis certainly sounds interesting… I shall take you up on zis…" Francis held out his hand to Alfred, to seal the deal.

"Now-"

"AHAHAHA! This'll be fun!" exclaimed Alfred as he took the Frenchman's hand and shook it heartily. "Now, I'm hungry! Let's have breakfast!"

Kiku suddenly stepped forward looking alarmed. Alice hoped he was going to say something about the contest. "Alfred-sama, you ate before you left. How can you be hungry again?"

"I just am – AHAHAHAHA!"

"Very well. Please, step zis way."

Antonio opened the door for Francis and Alfred, Kiku following his master. "I hope there are burgers!" exclaimed Alfred as they stepped through. "I love burgers!" Then the door closed behind them and they were gone.

Alice gaped after them. _How could they do that?! I was right here! And they _ignored_ me! Those bastards! I'll-_

"Kesesese! You look down, Alice!"

Alice spun round to see that Gilbert and Matthew were still in the room. With everything that had happened, she had forgotten they were there. "Tsk! Shut up, Gilbert!" she said, irritably. "And, Matthew, shouldn't you be with Alfred?"

"E-Eh?!" exclaimed Matthew. "Désolé! I-I'll go down right now!" He hurried past Alice, looking troubled. At the door he paused and turned to her. "I really am sorry for my Master's actions…" He grimaced apologetically before opening the door and slipping out of it.

"Kesese!" said Gilbert. Alice glared at him in response. "I vould _love _to help you, 'cher', but… I can't really force my awesome master to stop, ja?"

Alice glared at him for a moment before realising something. Both of the men had seemed jealous of the other's affections. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage…

"Oh, _really_?" said Alice, a dangerous smile on her face. "You would _love_ to help me?"

"Er… Ja?" said Gilbert, suddenly looking worried.

"Well, I have _just_ the thing you can help me with, my _lovely_ gardener…" She grinned at him more and Gilbert gulped.

* * *

_**I hope you like who Alice's fiancé is. ;) Aren't I just a horrible person. (Please don't start arguing about which pairing is better. I really don't care too much about them to argue back...)**_

_**And, another slight cliffhanger. You'll just have to wait to see what horrible task Alice forces on Gil. Poor Gil! And poor Matthew, too, for both of them were forgotten about! (So was Alice, but she prefers it that way, anyway, at this point...)  
**_

_**And so I leave you with this: La vie est en désordre. L'amour est plus désordonné. :)  
**_


	7. A Third Party

****_**Again, this was a little delayed due to certain unforseen circumstances. Such as more online comics to be read! ^.^  
**_

_**Also, I'm really sorry for the really bad first part. I had this idea in my head which was still there while I wrote the last chapter to go into this one. Then I realised, character-wise, it wouldn't work so I had to abruptly end Gilbert's part in this...  
**_

_**I'm really sorry for the no doubt awful bit afterwards. Hopefully the next chapter will get a bit more exciting and a little less confusing...  
**_

Alice knocked on the door to the guest chambers before entering. She almost left as soon as she had because of the scene she was currently a witness to.

In Alfred's chambers, instead of a normal room, she was bearing witness to a fairy tale. There were frills and sparkling gems on everything. Pictures of unicorns and fairies adorned the walls. A tiara was sitting on a table in front of a tray of tea. A piece of folded paper was beside it.

Seeing no-one around, she sighed and approached the table. Picking up the note, she flipped it open to read what was inside.

"My dearest Alice – please forgive me. But I am going to totally save you so don't worry! Al."

Alice spun round before Kiku and Matthew could capture her. She looked at them blankly. They looked alarmed and lowered the hood and rope.

"Is he really trying to win me over by kidnapping me so he can save me?" Alice asked them.

"Well…" said Matthew.

"Aw, Alice!" came Alfred's loud voice from the next room. The door burst open and he hurried out, looking upset. "You were supposed to be the princess and I was gonna be the prince so I could save you!"

Alice glared at him. "How the hell is this supposed to win you into my favour?"

Alfred shrugged. "Worth a try. I mean, _he_ has the flowers covered…" Alfred nodded behind her and Alice turned again, only to be face with a wall of white roses.

"What the-?!" Alice began before stopping herself as she saw Francis poking his head round to look at her. Smiling, he tried to hand the massive bouquet to her but she shook her head and took a step back. "Look-" she began again before being interrupted.

"AHAHAHA! If flowers worked, she'd already be yours, right?" exclaimed Alfred loudly, in Alice's ear. This made her jump and scowl.

"Well, Alfred, your façade is a definite way to make 'er 'ate you more, non?" Francis smirked at him.

Alice sighed and began to sidle away. She got halfway to the door when her way was blocked by Kiku and Matthew.

"Gomennasai, Alice-sama," said Kiku, bowing apologetically. "Our Master has commanded that we do not let you out of the room…"

The maid was about to make a retort when there was a soft knock on the door and it opened. Behind Alice, neither Francis nor Alfred paid any heed to this. However, Matthew turned and, seeing it was Gilbert, looked between him, Alice and Kiku worriedly.

Alice, meanwhile, smirked at the sight of Gilbert, knowing what was going to happen next. Gilbert glared back. Alice raised an eyebrow. Gilbert turned red and moved forward. Squeezing past Kiku and Matthew, Gilbert stood in front of Alice, his eyes down. He held out a single red rose.

"This is for you…" he said, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Kesesese…"

Alice beamed at him. "Thank you, Gilbert!" she exclaimed, loudly. "Why, I will graciously accept this token." She took the rose.

The four servants could almost hear Francis and Alfred freeze before slowly turning to them. They could almost see their jealousy, Gilbert trying to shrink down to an unnoticeable size.

Suddenly they were at either side of Alice, ready to protect her from this newcomer, both of them glaring at Gilbert. "Gilbert," said Francis, his tone one of hurt and confusion. "What exactly are you doing, cher?"

"Vell…" Gilbert glanced at Alice who made a 'get on with it' gesture. "If-If you two can fight over a girl then ve can fight over her, too, ja?" he finally said, sounding as though he had learned a script.

"_You_ like Alice?" said Alfred, looking none too happy.

"Uh…" Gilbert glanced at Alice who gave a slight nod. "Ja?"

There was a short silence. Alice opened her mouth to speak but the next words weren't hers.

"Gilbert…" said Francis, quietly, looking sad. "This is going to be a problem…"

"Ah," said Gilbert.

Silence once again descended. This time, though, Alice was quick enough to open her mouth first. "Now that we have your attention, may I be permitted to speak?" She raised her eyebrow at Francis.

He nodded, still rather dazed. "Oui! Of course, cher!"

"Right, well, first of all, Gilbert was just helping me get your attention. Which he did superbly, of course." She smirked at him.

"Fick dich," muttered Gilbert, turning and leaving the room in a mood.

"Secondly, would you please just cut this out?! Stop this nonsense about winning me over. Neither of you can do that! And especially not if you ignore what I have to say! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some _actual work_ to do." And with that, Alice also turned and left the room, also in a bit of a mood…

Later, at dusk, Alfred and Francis were seated at the dining table. Kiku and Matthew were attending to Alfred's whims while Alice and Antonio were doing the same for Francis.

"I like your dining room, Francis," said Alfred with a grin. "Though, your choice in decoration is just weird!" He gazed around the room. There was a deer's head above each door, with a massive stag's head above the fireplace, where the head of the table was situated. There were also a few peaceful, serene, country landscapes hung on the wall between mirrors and a set of swords.

Francis pulled a face and laughed. "Oui! Zis place was only recently bought by my parents. We have yet to redecorate."

Alfred nodded. "I think you should do it soon."

They both laughed. Behind Francis, Alice held back a sigh. They had been acting friendly since her outburst, laughing and trying to get along. They were obviously trying to make her think that they weren't competing any more. Not that Alice much cared – she had just been annoyed that they had ignored her when she had tried to speak to them. They were also not fooling any of the people surrounding them.

The candles flickered. Alice glanced at them and then at the windows. All of them were shut, intent on shutting out the cold. Her eyes narrowed. No-one had come in or out that she had seen. Glancing at the others, making sure they were preoccupied, she began to sidle round to the side of the table closest to the swords…

The candles went out. "What on-?" began Francis. Alfred nervously laughed. There was a short silence.

"Th-This isn't cool, dude!" said Alfred, his voice trembling slightly. "G-Ghosts aren't f-funny…"

There was silence for a second but, before anyone could reply, a rattling sound was heard followed by a clang. After a short pause, there was more clanging from the middle of the table, something rattling every so often. Then there was the noise of a match flaring as Antonio finally got a match to strike. He lit a candelabrum and held it up so those present could see.

Standing on the table were two figures. Each one of them was holding a sword and was standing in a defensive stance. They didn't move as Antonio moved around the room, lighting other candles, brightening the room.

Soon, everyone could see the man standing on the table. He was shroud in black, cloth covering his face so that only his eyes were visible. His long black hair was visible at his back, poking out from under the cloth, tied in a ponytail.

The other figure was Alice who was glaring at the man, one hand holding her skirts up slightly so that she could move better. This also revealed her ankles, which Francis took note of and found them rather attractive. However, he pushed this thought to the back of his mind for later contemplation so as to focus on the bigger issue.

"What is going on, cher?" he asked, addressing Alice.

Without moving or even turning her head slightly, Alice replied. "This is Yao Wang. He's an assassin."

"An assassin?!" exclaimed Alfred. "What the hell, dude?! Who's he trying to assassinate?"

"Apparently, you and Francis," said Alice.

There was a short silence. Then: "Dude! Not cool! Why would he want to assassinate us?!"

"Because I asked him to, da?" said a cheery sounding voice from the door. Yao relaxed and lowered his sword and Alice turned round.

"Ivan Braginski," said Alice, looking at the newcomer. The tall man had very light, silvery-blonde hair and was wrapped up in a coat and scarf. He was smiling benignly, as if he had been expected.

"Monsieur Braginski? May I ask what you are doing here?" asked Francis.

"Da," said Ivan as Yao leapt off the table and went to Ivan's side. There was a silence as he smiled at them all while Alice made her way carefully off the table. Francis glanced at her, hoping for an explanation and noticed her skirts up around her knees as she stepped carefully onto a chair. His heart skipped a beat and he had to almost force himself to behave…

Once she was on the floor, Alice dropped her skirts and shook them out before looking up at the silent group. She sighed. "Mr Braginski is Yao's master. And also one of my suitors."

"One of your suitors?!" exclaimed Alfred. "What are you talking about?! You were engaged to me before you came here!"

"Didn't stop me having suitors," said Alice with a shrug. "In particular, Mr Braginski is after any money or land I may or may not get when my parents die. At least, at the time he asked me. Now that my family is re-accumulating our wealth, I expect that I've become desirable again."

"Da," said Ivan. "I am here to see you, Alice. And ask you a question."

Alice sighed. "It's not the same one as before, is it?"

"Da!" said Ivan, smiling broadly. "And if there are other people vying for your attention, I can, how you say, 'get rid' of them, da?"

Alice shook her head. "I wish you'd stop making presumptions. You can't kill people as you please here. And you most certainly won't win my affections by doing so, anyway."

Ivan kept smiling. "I have not asked the question yet, baryshnya."

"I don't want to hear it."

He grinned and asked it, anyway. "Become one with me, da?"

Alice turned red and glared at him. "I've already told you-"

"- that you are betrothed. But that was called off a few months ago, da?"

Alice paled. She had chosen to use that as her excuse to make him back off. In fact, only her refusal to tell him who her fiancé while Alfred was stuck in New York had saved him from being targeted by Yao.

A sudden, loud laugh distracted them. "AHAHA! Alice is popular!" said Alfred, unaware of the tension. "I'm going to have to fight harder to keep her!"

"Keep-?" Alice began.

"Oui," said Francis, rising from his seat. "Except zat I will not allow you to stop me in mon amour."

Alice turned red again. "W-Wait a min-"

"Da… I will not let my hard work go to waste," said Ivan, still smiling and moving forward.

"_What_ hard wo-"

"Well, then, gentlemen," said Francis, reaching out his hand to Alfred who took it and shook it. "Let zis mark ze agreement to play fair in zis fight, oui?" He shook Ivan's hand as well.

"_What fight?!_ Look, would you three-"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Alfred. "Fight on!"

"Da…" said Ivan, quietly, still smiling.

"Hang on-"

"Zen it is settled. Now, how about a game of cards gentlemen? Zis way if you would like…"

"Hey-!" said Alice before giving up. She watched the men file out, leaving her standing in the dining room to clear up. She sighed and began to gather up the plates. "When he made me his personal maid, I should have asked for a pay rise…"

* * *

_**Like I said, sorry.**_

_**Also, I have no idea how to type a Russian accent. Sorry.  
**_

_**And I'm using the phonetic spellings for the Japanese and Russian words cause this is in English so I don't understand why kanji/katana/a Russian alphabet. Sorry if you'd rather have it the other way. Hopefully you know what the words mean, though.  
**_

_**Also, I'm saying sorry a lot and I apologise for that, too... O.o  
**_

_**So, I'll just leave this with you guys while I watch FrUK videos/read comics/generate more fan fic ideas.  
**_

_**And: Je ne peux m'empêcher de s'excuser. Désolé.  
**_


	8. Going Home

**_So, here's the new chapter. Um... I don't think I write Ivan well, so I'm sorry._****  
**

**_And it's sort of... Urgh. Sorry.  
_**

* * *

Francis, Alfred and Ivan were playing cards. They had decided not to argue about Alice. They had also pulled lots to decide which order in which to present Alice with their presents or activities. Francis was to go first and he couldn't quite decide what to do: or, rather, how much to do.

As Francis played a card, still musing, there was a knock at the door. Two sharp knocks. Before anyone could move, Francis hissed, "Wait!" He turned to Alfred and Ivan. "If you can tell me who is behind ze door, I will concede Alice to you two."

Alfred grinned. "Sure! I say it's… Antonio!"

"Non, it is not," said Francis patiently. "Antonio is right here." He gestured behind him to the gathering of hovering servants. Antonio smiled politely while Matthew and Kiku looked on despairingly. Yao stood by, impassive.

"It is Gilbert, da?" said Ivan, smiling but looking a little unsure.

"Non!" exclaimed Francis with a short laugh of derision. He laid his cards on the table and stood, hurrying towards the door. "It is Alice!" he exclaimed as he pulled the door open.

Sure enough, on the other side stood Alice. She was wearing a navy blue dress. It was plain but one could see the quality of the material. It was not something a servant would wear. Considering the painstaking steps Alice had gone to in order to remain treated like a servant, this was odd. But Francis brushed this aside. He grabbed her hands before letting go, glancing down in confusion as he had felt something like paper in them.

"Hello, Francis, sir," Alice said, ignoring his attempt at greeting. "I need to give you this." She held out the thing in her hand. It was an envelope with the words 'Young Master' written on it in large, easy to read letters.

"Quoi?" said Francis, slipping into his native tongue in his shock. "Qu'est-ce que cela, ma chère?"

Not knowing exactly what he had said, Alice made an educated guess. "It's my letter of resignation," she explained. "My mother wrote me and said that she is sending someone today to take me home. Now, I will take my leave as I have to pack my bags." And with that she turned and walked away, leaving Francis gaping after her.

Francis finally turned to look at his guests. Alfred gave a small shrug. "Well, it looks like we'll be leaving, eh, Ivan?"

"Da!" said Ivan, cheerily.

Realising that the others could claim hospitality from the Kirklands as soon as Alice returned home, Francis panicked a little. "N-Non! Antonio! Stop anyone who comes to collect Alice!"

"Si, senor," said Antonio, hurrying out of the room.

Alfred shook his head as Francis began to pace up and down. "Dude. There's no way you can keep Alice here."

At the front door, a carriage had already pulled up. The driver was tying off the reins to his seat as the footman leapt off and hurried up the steps. Antonio, however, reached him just as he approached the door.

"Hola, senor," said Antonio. "I am afraid Alice cannot come to the door."

The footman, a skinny, young man with brown hair and a curl which stuck out of the left side of his head, blinked his hazel eyes at the Spaniard. "Ve? But I was told we had to come here, signor, and not to return without Alice." He began to fidget nervously as if he was afraid of having done something wrong.

"Vhat is wrong?" said a German voice. At first Antonio had thought it was Gilbert speaking. Then the driver reached the top of the steps. He was huge – with muscle, most likely. His blonde hair was slicked back, making him look more professional and his blue eyes pierced the Spaniard's green ones as though he could see the truth through them. "Vhat is the problem?" he asked again.

"Ah," said Antonio. "Well, you see…" He trailed off, trying to think of a suitable excuse for Alice not coming to the door. "Alice… isn't feeling well."

His nervousness showed which didn't help his lie.

Nor did the fact that Alice was standing behind him, her bags by her side.

"Hello, Ludwig, Feliciano. It's good to see you again. Kindly see to my bags." With that, Alice began to walk down the steps.

"Huh?" said Antonio before hurrying after her. "No! Espera!" Alice paused and half turned before he caught up with her.

"What is it?" she asked, giving him a blank look.

"The Young Master-" began Antonio.

"I don't give a toss what Francis wants," said Alice, her tone snappy. "He will _not_ stop me from going home!" With that she turned and walked down the rest of the steps. Feliciano hurried forward to give her a hand into the carriage while Ludwig passed by Antonio, all of Alice's bags in his arms. He piled them up on top of the carriage before climbing up himself and sitting on the driver's box. Feliciano shut the carriage door and was helped up onto the box also and, with a slap of the reins and a yell from Ludwig, the horses pushed forward, pulling the carriage away, along the drive and out of sight…

At the Kirkland manor, Alice was met by her entire family on the front steps. Her father hugged her tightly, claiming to have missed her terribly. Her mother appraised her and yelled at the servants to fetch some bath water and have it ready for her. Her brother smiled ever so slightly at her and welcomed her back, looking genuinely relieved that she was safe.

Alice sighed in relief as she walked up the steps and into the huge house. The dark stone used to build the house beckoned her in. The gargoyles on the roof looked over the gardens, glaring down at anyone who approached. The red roses around the front door, once proof of their status now only reminded Alice of Francis – she glowered at them as she went in, making her way to her room and a long awaited bath.

No-one was aware of the shadows who watched the family re-enter their old home…

Ludwig watched Feliciano fidgeting on the chair opposite him. He sighed – couldn't this Italian sit still for more than a minute? "Feliciano," he said to him in a quiet growl. The younger man stopped fidgeting and sat up straight.

"Ve, will they come soon?" he asked nervously.

The German sighed. "I don't know, Feliciano. But ve vill stay here until zey do." He glanced towards the silk divider which separated Alice from the rest of the room.

Feliciano suddenly stood, beginning to pace. Ludwig sighed and put a hand to his forehead. Was there no way to get the Italian to stop moving? He glanced up at him again – just in time. He gave a yell and launched himself across the table, his sword already in his hand. There was a clang as the assailant's sword banged into his, stopping just short of the oblivious Feliciano.

Ludwig glared at the intruder and pushed him away with his sword. The man was wearing all black and his long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Yao," muttered Ludwig with an annoyed yet determined tone.

Yao didn't speak, only backed off to stand beside his master who had just stepped out of the shadows. "Privet, Ludwig," he said, cheerily.

"Vhat are you doing here?" asked Ludwig while Feliciano huddled behind him, still trying to calm down from his near-death experience.

"Alice comes with me, da?" said Ivan, his smile broadening. "I will not let d'em have her."

"Neither vill ve," said Ludwig, glaring at the Russian. "Ve are under strict orders to guard our mistress."

"Ah, so you are her bodyguards, da? I have heard of you."

"Ja. Ve vill not tolerate zis intrusion!" And with that, Ludwig engaged Yao who responded with a leap backwards and a swing of his own sword. They clashed and Yao pushed, causing the German to stumble backwards. He regained his footing just in time to stop the overhead swing from Yao.

Meanwhile, Feliciano backed away slightly, scared. He wasn't very good at fighting – instead he was supposed to grab Alice and run in these sorts of situations. However, Alice's recent orders were firm and Feliciano had nothing to do.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Feliciano from behind and he yelped, distracting Ludwig who took a kick to his knee for his trouble. Feliciano twisted round to see who this new assailant was only to discover Alfred, a gun at Feliciano's head.

"Yo, dude! I need to save Alice from this guy. You gotta let me go through, okay?!"

Feliciano shook his head. "No!" he exclaimed miserably, terrified.

Ivan glanced over at the disturbance, noting Matthew and Kiku with swords and guns. "You came to fight me?" he asked, calmly.

"Yep," said Alfred with a grin, pointing the gun at Ivan. He ignored Feliciano's struggling.

Meanwhile, a concerned Ludwig was frantically trying to get to his friend. However, Yao was pushing him back, gaining the upper hand, relentlessly crashing his sword down on Ludwig's. Ludwig stumbled but quickly got to his knees to deflect Yao's next blow. Finally, though, Ludwig's sword clattered to the floor and Yao kicked it out of reach. Ludwig braced himself for the killing blow. Yao lifted his arms high, about to use all his strength to run through the German. Feliciano cried out. Alfred froze, not sure what to do.

There was a clang as sword met sword.

Alice had suddenly appeared, a pale green nightgown covering her white nightdress. Her legs were bare from the knee down and she was holding a sword which had stopped Yao's. She gave him a blank look and, after hesitating, he backed off.

Alfred, meanwhile, was gazing at Alice's legs, a blush appearing on his face. His jaw had dropped as he contemplated how pretty they were. "Alfred," she said, and his head snapped up to look at her face. "Let Feliciano go." Alfred did so immediately, obediently. Feliciano scurried to Ludwig who reluctantly hugged him in comfort.

Ivan had only glanced at her legs before returning his attention to her face as she turned, staring at him blankly. "I have told you before, Ivan," she said. "Do not attack my servants. Especially not my bodyguards."

"You did not run d'is time," he said, pointedly.

"That is because I want to make sure you all understand just who I am and why you will never be able to 'win' me in any sort of contest." She looked up at the door of the room. "Come out of the shadows, Francis," she stated, fully expecting him to do as she said. And she was correct. He, with Antonio and Gilbert, stepped into the light from the candles on the table.

"Cher, I-" he began but Alice cut him off, completely ignoring him.

"Now, look here!" she exclaimed. "I am not some sweet little girl you can take home on your arm! Nor am I someone who will willingly let you have a claim to any land I own. And I can definitely not be bought with flowers! I am a Kirkland! And Kirklands are not people to be messed with!"

"Huh?" said Alfred, looking completely lost.

Alice sighed. "The Kirklands are not exactly a clean family. We roam the country silencing those who would… upset the Queen. And I shan't have all this stupid controversy over who is going to marry me – none of you will! I don't like any of you enough to marry any of you! So stop bothering me!"

Alfred stared at her, shocked, his brain still working to figure out what she meant. Ivan wasn't smiling any more either. Finally, the American figured it out and found his voice. "D-Do you mean… Have you killed… someone?"

Alice stared at him impassively. "Yes. On numerous occasions. Now, get out of my bedroom!"

Alice watched them leave. First the shocked American was ushered to the door by his servants. She stared after him as she remembered all his affections through the years. She had always been glad of the attention but he always seemed so distracted and it had averted her own affections from him.

Ivan calmly left with Yao, not speaking. Alice remembered the first time she had met him. She had not been able to practice her sword skills properly as her father and brother were too scared of hurting her and her mother was not trained in this skill. So Ivan had provided Yao to use as a sparring partner to her leisure. She had been grateful to him but, otherwise, he scared her a little. She was glad he was gone.

That just left Francis. Who wasn't moving.

"Did you not hear me?"

Francis blinked and glanced at her legs before he moved forward, producing a red rose. He handed it to her and she begrudgingly took it as he leaned towards her. She almost jerked backwards out of reach but he held her gently by the wrist. Then he whispered in her ear.

"Je t'aime, Alice. I will always love you, cher." And, with that, he turned and, with a gesture, ushered his servants out.

Alice stared after him. After a while, she realised that she was clutching the rose tightly to her chest. For a brief second she wondered why but she almost immediately answered herself. Her heart had swelled at his comment – she had been so scared that people would hate her once they knew about her secret lifestyle.

And now, with him having left, she could feel her heart aching. It annoyed her. Why was it doing this?

Finally, she sighed and put the hand still clutching her rose to her head. "This is so inconvenient. Why him?" She turned and walked back towards the divider beyond which was her bed. "Get out," she said to Ludwig and Feliciano. Feliciano looked confused but bowed and skipped out. Ludwig, however, was red-faced and trying not to stare at her legs, pointedly. He bowed and quickly left.

Alice breathed in the scent of the rose before putting it on the table. "Je t'aime…?"

* * *

_**So... Alice has "certain feelings" towards Francis, huh? Won't this be fun? :)**_


	9. Inviting Consequences

****_**Wild New Chapter appeared! Fire Bear1 used fireball! It's super effective! Fire Bear1 used Pokeball. New Chapter has been captured!  
**_

_**Sorry... I got distracted by the micro fan fics. Ah, well. Hope you enjoy! ^.^**_

* * *

It was dusk by the time Francis returned home. He was rather exhausted from the hasty travelling. The emotions of the day and the thinking he had done on the way home had also taken his toll. The door of the carriage opened and Gilbert helped him out. He thanked him and looked up at his large home; immediately he knew something was happening.

Every room facing the driveway was lit. Watching the windows there was a flurry of activity. Frowning, Francis glanced at Antonio and Gilbert. Both looked rather worried and confused. "Tonio?" Francis questioned.

"I left the cook in charge, Francis," was the reply.

"I wonder what it is she is up to…" Francis mused before moving forward and starting up the steps. As they reached the top, the large doors opened and Heather came rushing out. She headed straight for Gilbert who, as a glance towards the man confirmed, beamed at her.

"Gil!" she exclaimed. "You're back!" The girl looked as though she was struggling with something, most likely whether to hug Gilbert or attend to her duties and greet her master. Her duties won over and she turned to Francis and Antonio and curtseyed. "Young Master; welcome home!"

"Merci beaucoup, Mademoiselle," was the smooth reply. "What is it zat is going on?" he asked, nodding towards the house.

Heather hesitated, clearly uncertain about how much to tell the Frenchman. "The Master and Mistress have returned," she finally told him.

Francis stared at her for a moment before rushing past. He hadn't seen his parents for months and now they had suddenly appeared without an announcing their intent to return. Either there was something wrong or they had a surprise for him. He hoped the sudden unease he had gotten from Heather's worried expression was all for nought…

He soon found that his mother and father were in the drawing room. He rushed in and saw them both looking well. They both had radiant smiles for him as they stood to hug him. However, as Francis drew nearer, he noticed the rings under their eyes and the crows' feet at their eyes. They seemed to have aged considerably since the last time he had saw them. Worried yet deliriously happy, he threw an arm around both of them and they, in turn, wrapped their arms around him in a double embrace.

"Mère! Père!" he exclaimed.

"Mon fils…" breathed his mother happily. "Il a été trop long. "

"Oui," said Francis happily as he pulled away. Once again, he surveyed his parents. His mother's beautiful, long, blonde hair looked dishevelled and rather unkempt; it was falling from its high bun. Her navy blue dress also looked a little worse for wear. Meanwhile, his father's black hair had begun to grey and his bowtie was a little askew. Frowning, Francis reached up and straightened it for him. "Etes-vous bien, ma mère?"

His mother glanced quickly at his father – an action which would have been missed had Francis not been watching for it. "Oui, oui!" she exclaimed, as cheerily as she could. "Nous avons une surprise pour vous!"

Frowning, Francis looked around – and his eyes finally alighted on the back of a head in the chair by the window. "Qui est-ce?" he asked, gesturing towards the chair.

His mother turned to the chair and called out to the person sitting there. "Katyusha, could you come over here, s'il vous plait?"

The head nervously turned in their direction before the person in question rose. She turned and hurried over, nervously wringing her hands, her wide skirt brushing against the table and nearly knocking it from its legs. Her ample bosom was squashed into a corset – it did nothing to stop the enticing bouncing as she walked. Her blonde hair was plaited in a ring around her head, almost like a crown. A worried expression was worn on her face.

"Zis is Mademoiselle Katyusha Braginskaya," said Francis' father. "She is here as our guest."

_Braginskaya? _thought Francis, frowning for a moment in thought. _That sounds like Braginski. Perhaps she is a relative of Ivan's?_

Snapping out of his reverie, Francis moved forward and gently took one of the young woman's hands. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle," he said as he brushed his fingers lightly over her knuckles. A thought struck him – before he had met Alice, he would certainly have planted a kiss on the hand and given her a red rose. Now, he wasn't interested in the quiet lady – not even with said ample bosom. Although, it was rather a good one…

Snapping out of his reverie once again, he berated himself. So caught up in his thoughts was he, that he almost missed the woman's greeting.

"Pryvit, pan," she said in her native tongue. "I… I am very pleased to meet you."

Francis gave a nod and a smile before turning back to his parents, raising an eyebrow questioningly. They looked awkward for a moment before beaming at him once again.

"Now zat you are acquainted, let us discuss ze future…" began his mother.

"Future?" said Francis, his breath catching in his throat. This did not sound good…

"Oui!" said his father, smiling. "As you know, we do not condemn your lifestyle. 'Owever… We wish for you to be married at some point. And so, we have, with some difficulty, arranged for you to be wed. It will be very respectable and profitable to both of our families. She has large tracts of land at 'er disposal et isn't she lovely?" The man put his hand gently on Katyusha's shoulder. Katyusha looked up at Francis with fearful eyes. Francis stared back for a moment before looking back at his parents.

"Désolé, mère, père," he said. "I cannot marry her."

"Quoi?!" exclaimed his mother, looking quite alarmed and angry. "Why not?!" she demanded.

Francis smiled dreamily, thinking of Alice, wishing she was here so he could show her off. "I am in love."

"Quoi?" said his father, a calming hand on his mother's shoulder. "Qui?"

"Her name is Alice," said Francis, still smiling despite his father's dark tone. "Alice Kirkland." The effect Alice's full name had on his parents was rather alarming: his mother gasped and fell backwards into the couch, her eyes wide; his father stepped back slightly and struggled to keep his composure. Katyusha looked between them, confused and rather frightened-looking.

"How… How did you meet such a person?" his father finally asked.

Francis looked at them, frowning. "What does it matter 'ow I met 'er?" he said, his own tone darkening.

His father suddenly raised his hand as if to strike Francis. The confused Frenchman flinched, cowering a little until a voice spoke from by the door.

"It was my fault, Senor," said Antonio's voice. Francis turned to look and saw Antonio and Gilbert standing at alert on either side of the door. "I hired her as a maid. Lo siento."

"Und I helped him choose her from other candidates," said Gilbert. Antonio looked a little shocked for a moment before his determined expression returned.

Francis was about to speak, to try to defend his two friends in turn when, suddenly, a scream erupted from the couch. "You did what?! Vous idiots! Incompétent! Dehors! Out!"

"Q-Quoi?! Maman! S'il vous plait, écouter!" Francis cried out, attempting to stop what was happening.

"Non!" screamed his mother. "I will not 'ave zem working 'ere! Zey will leave! And you will marry Katyusha next Sunday coming!" Suddenly, she gasped for breath from her exertions and collapsed onto the couch. Francis' father hurried to her side, a worried look on his face. He shouted for a servant – who had been silently attending the family and their guest – to fetch a doctor. The servant left immediately, and, in the chaos which followed – in which his father told him that his refusal to marry Katyusha was the fault of his mother's collapse and he agreed to the marriage hastily – Francis felt a breath at his neck and a Spanish voice in his ear.

"Do not worry, Senor Francis – we will go to Senora Alice's house and alert her to the situation. She will be able to get you out of this mess, si?" Francis turned to look at him but he had already turned away, Gilbert following with a worried glance at Francis.

Francis then turned his attention back to his mother as he sat by her side, holding her hand while they waited for the doctor. However, not all his thoughts were on her as he wondered if Alice would do anything – if there was anything she _could_ do, that was…

* * *

Alice was trying very hard not to notice the awkward atmosphere and conversation between her brother and Alfred. Alfred had elected to stay with the Kirklands until he absolutely had to return home. However, this did not look to be any time soon. Thankfully, Ivan had disappeared, probably back home to Russia.

Concentrating on her stitches in her embroidery, she listened to their tension-filled conversation.

"Well, um… I've been doing stuff," said Alfred, adding a fake laugh and rubbing his neck.

"Have you been keeping up your studies?" asked Arthur, lifting a cup of tea to his lips.

"Ah… Uh… Funny thing… See… Been too busy for that, y'know?"

"I see… In other words, you couldn't bother your fat arse to do any of it."

Behind Alfred, Alice caught sight of Matthew and Kiku grimacing. _So he still hasn't gotten over that issue, then,_ she realised.

"I- That doesn't matter!" cried Alfred, pouting. "What were you up to, then?" he demanded.

Alice paused in her work – that was also something she was curious about. However, her brother never alluded to anything. "It-It's none of your business," he instead said. Alice rolled her eyes and looked back down at her embroidery.

She nearly gasped in surprise when she saw what she had been absent-mindedly doing. In the centre of the piece she had been working so hard on was a large love heart. She had never in her life drawn, knitted or stitched a love heart. _Dammit! He's not even here and he's disturbing my embroidery!_

At this point, there was a knock on the door and Feliciano bounded in. "Ve!" he exclaimed, cheerily. "Alice has a visitor!"

Alice almost rose out of her seat in alarm. Her heat began to beat faster and her breathing almost stopped completely. He had returned to the house so soon and she hadn't been expecting it. Now, she was worrying about several different things. She looked towards the door, her eyes wide as Feliciano moved out of the way and people were ushered in by Ludwig.

She stared at the people. Antonio and Gilbert were entering the room to stand in front of her, their expression a mixture of seriousness and worry. They bowed to her and she rose from her sitting position – talking to them from her seated position would be too annoying.

"What is it?" she asked. "Where's that French git?" she then snapped, trying to act as she normally had.

The two servants looked at each other before Gilbert sighed and spoke. "Francis is in trouble. His parents came home. They are demanding he marries a girl. A Russian girl. Und Francis has agreed for their sakes. You must do something to help him!"

Alice stared at them. Francis was getting married? But, only a few hours ago, he had been declaring his love for her. He was a man – he could dispute their marriage arrangements quite easily. Why hadn't he done so?

"What… What does _that_ have to do with me?" she demanded.

"He loves you, Senora Kirkland," said Antonio, looking desperate. He told his parents that. They… seemed to know you. They fired us for hiring you and refused to let Francis have his way. Lo siento, pero… Por favour! Help him!"

His parents knew her? Or knew the family? Probably the family, Alice decided. And if they were angry at her having been employed, at her having interacted with their son, they could make life difficult for Francis. They could even cut him off. She didn't want that – she didn't want him to be upset or be hurt. Not by his parents. Not because of her…

Realising the way she was thinking of Francis, she began to blush and she turned her head away, glancing at her brother. He was frowning and, when he noticed her eyes on him, he shook his head and then gave a shrug. His message was obvious to his twin – there was nothing she could do for the moment.

"I'm sorry," she said – and this was a genuine sentiment. "I can't." She sat down and picked up her embroidery, setting about unpicking the heart.

"Aber!" exclaimed Gilbert, astonished. "You are the only one who can! Vhy vill you do nothing?!"

Alice sighed. "Clearly, this is something servants do not understand. I cannot interfere with a family's political happenings. Even more so if they have already arranged to marry their son to someone – both families would then be at a loss." She noticed the despair on their faces and sighed once again. "When is the wedding?" she asked, as casually as possible.

"Sunday next," said Gilbert, his tone moody.

Alice dropped her embroidery and glanced at her brother, her eyes searching for help. Her brother shook his head and rose. "She cannot help you," he said, briskly. "The Kirkland family is not allowed to get involved in situations like this. If you want to stop the wedding, you will have to do something yourselves. Incidentally, please leave."

"Aber!" exclaimed Gilbert once again. "But!" he said again, translating to English this time as Arthur attempted to usher them out. "Ve have novhere to go! You need to help us!" He searched for something to say to convince these harsh nobles and finally landed on it. "Is it not your duty to help us vhen ve are in a time of need?!"

This time it was Arthur who sighed. "Ludwig," he said, tiredly. "Find them something to do and somewhere to sleep." Gilbert and Antonio looked relieved for a moment before they glanced at each other and a worried expression crossed their faces. Alice watched them leave, a concerned look present on her own face. Her brother glanced at her before following the servants. "I am going to write some letters. Please do not disturb me." Alice nodded, trying to brighten her expression a little. However, it was not enough to fool Arthur – nor, even, the usually oblivious Alfred who was left with her, watching her worry…

* * *

A few days later, a rather grumpy albino was in the garden within sight of the driveway, struggling to tend to the wintry garden. Grumbling to himself about the work being set by his new employers, he thought of Francis for the hundredth time. He desperately wanted to help his friend but there was nothing he could do at the moment. In fact, he would have to wait until the day of the wedding before sneaking off with Antonio to try to save their Young Master.

The noise of a carriage reached his ears and he came forward to find one rattling along the drive. As it drew closer, he noticed that it had the Bonnefoy's family crest on the side. With a slight gasp, he hurried forward, almost convinced it was Francis. However, a servant emerged instead, clutching an envelope.

"Ja?" said Gilbert, rather testily.

"I am here to deliver a message to Miss Kirkland," was the reply, the servant giving him a haughty look. Gilbert narrowed his eyes before stepping back for the man to have room to walk up to the house. He directed a vulgar gesture to the man's back – much to the amusement of the driver – before following him. When they reached the doors, Gilbert knocked and waited for someone inside to open it, mindful of his dirty hands: when he had used a door on his first day working at this mansion and smeared dirt on the handle, Arthur had been furious. Finally, the door was opened by Ludwig. He looked to Gilbert.

"Ja?" he asked.

"Message for Fraulein Alice," said Gilbert with a grin before the other man could speak. The messenger glared at Gilbert.

"Ah," said Ludwig. He held out his hand. "I vill take zat, danke," he said to the man who looked affronted at not having been allowed in. Reluctantly, he handed the envelope over and spun on his heel. Ludwig, meanwhile, made to close the door before Gilbert stopped the door with his foot.

"Let me in, bitte," he said, looking up at the German with another grin.

Ludwig shook his head. "Nein. You should be vorking."

"But it is from Francis!" said Gilbert, looking up at the taller man with a slight pout.

For a moment, Ludwig surveyed him. Then he sighed and held the door open for him. Once he was inside, the door closed with a heavy thud and Ludwig called out for Antonio. Obediently, the Spaniard appeared. He looked questioningly at Gilbert as they were both told to stand up straight and follow the tall blonde. Gilbert just mouthed the word 'Francis' at him and he nodded his understanding.

They entered the drawing room and the people present glanced up, every one of them: Arthur, Alfred, Alice, Kiku and Matthew. Ludwig bowed to Alice and Antonio and Gilbert followed suit. Then the large German handed over the envelope. Alice glanced from her bodyguard to her new servants, a puzzled expression on her face. Seeing the envelope, however, her eyes widened as she realised what this meant. With a shaking hand, she took the envelope. Her brother rose from his place and hurried over with a letter opener. Alice took it and slit the envelope as quickly as she could. She winced as she nicked her finger. A little annoyed, she shook out the contents and read them quickly.

They all watched as she froze in horror. Arthur began to reach out to her and Alfred had braced himself to rise from his own chair when she suddenly leapt from her seat, angry.

"That _bastard_!" she snarled, completely losing her composure. "How _dare_ he?! How _could _he?!"

"Alice?" asked Arthur, an alarmed look on his face. Gilbert and Antonio exchanged glances, confused.

"He's _invited_ me to his bloody wedding! What the bloody hell is he thinking?! That _bastard_?! Not only that, everyone else is invited, too?! That git! Is he planning to humiliate me there?!" This last question was snapped at Gilbert and Antonio who both shook their heads and raised their hands slightly, defensively. They were at a loss as well – why would Francis invite someone his parents hated and whom he loved to watch him get married to someone else? Perhaps he had finally lost it, as Gilbert often said he would, jokingly…

Alice glared at the paper, scrunched in her fist. Then she smoothed it out – with much difficulty – and set it aside. Sitting back down, breathing a little heavily, she glanced at Ludwig. "I would like some tea," she said, her voice quiet and calm. "Please bring me some."

Ludwig nodded and ushered Gilbert and Antonio from the room. Gilbert strained to look back, wondering what Alice would do now…

* * *

_**In case some of you are wondering: The conversation in French is basically them greeting each other, saying they've been apart for too long, asking if they were well... **_

_**Pero = But! in Spanish. Same with Aber!  
**_

_**Écouter = Listen  
**_

_**I think that's it...  
**_


	10. Wedding Woes

****_**I'm sorry this took so long. I've gotten really distracted with other anime and just stuff in general...  
**_

_**Also... The title of the story as a whole is about love in a mansion... Yet, this chapter takes place solely in a church. I'm pretty sure the rest of the chapters actually take place in mansions, though. Heh. ^^"**_

* * *

Alice folded her arms and glared at the church. Today was the day. Her eyes flickered to her family who had also been invited by Francis' parents. They were not aware of the situation between Francis and Alice – Arthur had been warned to keep it that way.

Arthur glanced worriedly at Alice before guiding their parents by her and into the building. Alice was relieved – the last thing she needed right now was her parents asking her questions. She gritted her teeth, breathing deeply, her fists clenched. She knew she had to go through with this but she was a little apprehensive. She took one last deep breath and walked up the steps to the door. Before she could open it, however, another hand held the handle and pulled it open. Looking round, Alice found Alfred, smiling gently down at her.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" Alice hissed.

"I was invited!" Alfred said, cheerily. "And I hear there'll be an enormous feast afterwards, too!"

Alice stared at his cheerful demeanour. "Did… Did you only come here for the food?"

"Ah, no!" said Alfred, grinning now. "I came to be a hero!"

"Huh?"

"I've come to help you, Alice!"

Alice frowned at him. "I have no idea what you intend to do, but if you think I'm going to marry you-"

"No, no, dude!" said Alfred hastily, shaking his head for emphasis. "I don't want that! I-I mean…" He trailed off, blushing. "I-I'm in love with someone else…" He glanced into the foyer. Alice did the same, seeing her brother, standing awkwardly, waiting for her. _Or waiting for…_

Alfred was grinning embarrassedly at her when she glanced back at him. Then she gave him a small smile, took another deep breath and entered the church. Alfred came in behind her, shutting the door as gently as possible. Then he slipped by her and headed towards the other doors. Arthur opened the door for him, like a gentleman should, and Alfred practically skipped into the church proper. Arthur gave Alice a look and nodded. Alice glanced away, feeling tears prick her eyes and nodded at the floor. She heard the door creak as it was pulled shut behind Arthur.

Looking up, she stared around the vestibule. There was a pair of unnecessary chairs with some equally unnecessary Bibles – she was clutching a small one which she had already brought with her. There were some shelves behind a small table upon which rested several hymn books. She sighed. This was probably the hardest thing she had ever decided to do. She wondered if she would even be able to.

There was a sudden noise – it sounded like the creak of a door – and Alice glanced around. She quickly spotted a pair of eyes watching her from a small gap between a door and jamb. She blinked and the eyes withdrew, the gap of the door diminishing as it was closed.

"Wait!" exclaimed Alice just before the click of the door. She hurried towards it. "Who are you?! You do realise there is a wedding taking place, yes? You should not be here!"

The door didn't click close. Instead, the door opened more so that the eyes could be seen again. "I-I know," said a quiet, nervous voice. "YA zhalkuyu!" Alice thought she recognised the accent. _Russian? But… That is a woman's voice… This means…_

"Oh, excuse me," said Alice, forcing a smile. "I was unaware that I was speaking to the bride herself."

"Ah… YA zhalkuyu…"

"If you are apologising, there is no need. Do you need some help?"

"Ah… Tak. YA zhalkuyu." The woman opened the door wider and Alice walked into the room which had been set aside for her. It was small and rather cramped. Her wedding dress was on a mannequin. A small dressing table had been hurriedly dragged into the room, scratching the wooden floor. The narrow stained-glass window let a little light into the dreary room. The woman in question was blonde and was wearing only her chemise – which was only just enough to cover her large bosom. The corset lay on the chair in front of the dressing table along with her other layers.

"Do you not have any bridesmaids?" Alice asked, blushing a little.

"Nemaye," the woman replied. "There was no time. YA zhalkuyu."

"Ah, yes, quite," said Alice. "Let me help you, then. Ah, what is your name?"

"Katyusha," said the woman, timidly.

"Well, then, Katyusha. Allow me," Alice said with a small smile. She picked up the corset and wrapped it around the woman before standing behind her to tighten it. "Now, may I ask how you met the groom? And was it that silly notion of love at first sight or a gradual love?"

"Oh," said Katyusha, wringing her hands. "I-I do not…"

Alice fumbled with the laces and dropped them. She reached for them as she said, "You do not…?"

"I- My brat asked me to do d'is," she said, nervously. "I-I do not- I am scared. Ivan trohky is acting strangely…"

Alice paused as her fingers brushed the laces. Then she gripped them and pulled gently, slowly tightening it up. "Acting strangely? How so?"

"He- He- His eyes… I can see worry."

"Ah," said Alice, frowning a little. So Ivan really was her brother. And he was worried – but about what? He never seemed worried that he would fail to attract her attention. It was rather hard to imagine him being worried over anything…

* * *

Alice stepped out of the room just as Alfred appeared at the door to the church proper. He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. Then he smiled gently and held the door open. "After you," he said, bowing, a little mockingly. Alice looked at him with a slightly disapproving look before entering the church.

She had been so preoccupied with the nervous bride and wondering what was wrong with Ivan that she had almost forgotten why she was there. Her eyes locked onto Francis in a rather flashy-looking white suit, standing by the altar. A red rose was pinned to his lapel and he was looking straight back at her. His mouth opened as if he wanted to speak to her before he glanced at the front pew.

Alice couldn't take her eyes off him. For a moment, she stopped breathing and she could feel her heart begin to pound harder. _Damn! I really am…_

Then she felt a hand slip into hers and she glanced round to find Alfred looking down at her kindly. She realised that people were staring at her as she stood frozen at the door. She took a shaky breath and tightened her grip on Alfred's hand. "Th-This doesn't mean anything, idiot," she muttered to him, blushing deeply.

Deliberately looking away from Francis, she looked towards the front pew, letting Alfred guide her to her seat. There sat Francis' parents, a man and woman who both had blonde hair, staring at her. Alice frowned. They didn't look displeased to see her and this bothered her. Finally, Alice reached her place, beside her parents, at the end of the pew. Alfred slipped into the pew behind them beside her brother, flashing him a grin. Alice watched Arthur blush and mutter something, glancing away. Alfred just grinned wider.

Before Alice could be questioned by her parents, the organ began to play the Bridal Chorus. Everyone rose and, as Alice turned to watch Katyusha make her way up the aisle with Yao (Katyusha had explained that her brother refused to be at the wedding for some reason and her father was no longer alive), her eye was caught by Francis once again. He was staring at her instead of Katyusha. Alice ignored this for now and instead, preoccupied herself with smoothing down her dark dress. It was close to black but, if the light caught it in a certain way, it was visible to be a dark blue. Her mother had commented on it before they left, saying that she looked to be going to a funeral instead of a wedding. Alice had laughed it off – but that was exactly the effect she had been hoping for…

When Alice looked back up at Katyusha, she spotted Antonio and Gilbert standing at the back with the other servants. They were glaring at the front. Alice couldn't tell if they were glaring at Francis' parents or Francis himself.

The minister smiled down at Katyusha as the congregation sat, Alice feeling tense now, listening intently as he began the sermon. "We have gathered here today to witness the union between Katyusha and Francis…" The words sent a knife through her and she gripped her dress tightly.

Finally, though, her relief came. "If there is any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." She almost hesitated but Alice suddenly stood, gritting her teeth. The minister looked shocked. "Y-Yes, dear?" he said, cautiously – he had clearly never had someone speak up at one of his weddings before.

"I-I have a reason," Alice said calmly whilst her heart beat wildly. She swallowed took a deep breath and said, "They are both liars."

"Liars?" asked the minister, glancing at them.

The congregation was silent, staring at Alice as she proceeded to explain. "Katyusha is not marrying for love. She is scared. This wedding is a farce."

"Well, a lot of people are scared on zeir wedding days," said Francis' mother with a laugh. Alice glanced at her. She looked worried and was clinging to her husband.

"Francis is worse!" Alice snapped.

"Quoi?!" exclaimed Francis, looking rather confused.

"He lied to me!" Alice cried out, letting it tumble out as quickly as possible, glaring at the minister. "He told me he loved me and yet he made plans to marry Katyusha! He does not deserve to set foot in this church, let alone be allowed to get married!"

"Wait just a darned minute," said Alice's father. "Are you telling me that he strung you along and now he is about to get married to someone else?" Alice glanced at him and nodded. "For land and money?" Alice nodded once again, though she wondered about Katyusha's appearance as well. "Well, this is an unacceptable thing for someone to do to a Kirkland!" he growled, standing, his hand on his ceremonial sword – he had decided to dress up as much as possible for the wedding.

"He has to take responsibility!" snapped Alice, agreeing with her father.

"Quoi?!" exclaimed Francis, frowning in confusion. "Take responsibility for what, mon cher?!"

"For-For-" Alice choked on her words. She couldn't say this in front of so many people. And yet, she _had_ to. "F-For making me… fall… I-I… _like_ you…"

Suddenly everyone was chattering at once, outraged at the interruption, amazed at her confession, congratulating her, laughing at the situation – though the last one seemed to be undertaken only by Alfred. But Francis just stood there, staring at her, a smile slowly spreading over his face. Seeing that, Alice looked away, blushing. Once the hubbub had died down, Alice looked back up, still rather red.

"Alice," breathed Francis, holding his hand out to her. Alice's hand twitched, wanting to raise it, too. To rush forward and grab his – which was ridiculous, really. However, at that moment, the doors to the church opened.

Everyone turned to see who it was. The messenger in question froze, an alarmed expression on his face. His gaze took in the minister, bride, groom and the young woman and man standing. Then his eyes locked on to the man, Alice's father. He hurried towards him and Alice stepped out of the way, puzzled.

The messenger whispered urgently into her father's ear, seeming a little out of breath, as if he had been in a hurry to get there. Her father, meanwhile, paled. He whispered back just as urgently. The messenger nodded and glanced at the groom's parents. Her father also glanced at them, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

"Thank you," said Lord Kirkland. "Tell them I will take care of it."

The messenger nodded and left. As soon as he had done so, Alice frowned at her father. "What was that? What has happened?"

"The esteemed Earl Grey is dead. He has been murdered. And the murderers identified. The Queen wishes for them to answer for their heinous crime." He looked pointedly at Francis' parents who now stood, holding hands, united.

"What?!" exclaimed Alice. "How can this be?! There must be some mistake!"

"Zere is no mistake, cher," said Madame Bonnefoy. Alice turned to look at her; she looked serious, not worried any more. "You may be the family who works in the darkness in zis country, mais, we are ze ones who work in the darkness of our own country."

"Quoi?" said Francis, frozen.

"Francis was even 'elping us," said Monsieur Bonnefoy. "You know zat we killed ze Earl for our own reasons; we 'ad to make sure you were distracted by your daughter's plight. Zis 'as all been part of our plan. Including this wedding – having it 'appen so quickly caused your daughter distress and you noticed."

Alice gaped at them. "W-What…?" _Francis helped them… Does that mean…?_

"Q-Quoi?!" exclaimed Francis, still looking confused.

"Ah, ze girl understands," said the Frenchwoman with a small smirk. "Oui. Francis lied. But not about zis wedding. 'E lied about 'is l'amour for you."

Alice's eyes widened and she stepped backwards, her hand involuntarily rising to rest at her chest. "Why…?" she breathed. She stepped backwards again and lost her balance, falling backwards towards the hard pew.

* * *

Alfred caught the stunned girl before she hurt herself. She looked rather traumatised and didn't react to the commotion around her.

Firstly, Francis began to deny what was said. "Non. Non!" That was all he managed before his parents grabbed him and quickly dragged him through the back of the church.

Alice's father, meanwhile, drew his sword, yelling about how they had no right to disgrace his family. The minister blocked the way whilst a scared Katyusha was grabbed by a quick Arthur. He pulled her out of the way while his angry father brandished his sword at the minister. The minister shook his head and claimed that they had sanctuary. Lord Kirkland almost cut him down – however, his wife caught his arm and shook her head, pointing towards Alice.

Alfred, meanwhile, sat Alice down carefully. He shook her by the shoulder. "Alice? Alice?" he called to her as her parents clustered around them. For a few moments she stared blankly at the spot where Francis had stood. Then a dark cloud seemed to pass across her visage; her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed as she glared at the minister. She looked round at her parents.

"We are not going to let them get away with this," she finally said. It wasn't a question. It wasn't a request. It was almost as though she was ordering them. Her parents nodded. "But do not touch Francis," she added suddenly. Before her parents could question her, she continued.

"I want to kill him myself."

* * *

_**I'm sorry if any of the wedding ceremony is wrong. I've only been to a couple and I didn't pay attention to the order. Besides the fact that, once you've been engaged for a certain length of time, they don't say the bit about speaking up. And neither of the weddings I went to had that problem, heh. Which is a good thing, I suppose. :)  
**_

_**If I remember rightly, Katyusha calls Ivan, "Little Ivan" or brother- I just looked it up and I'm right. Oh, and "brat" means brother. Both of them are Ukrainian. As is the sorry, thing.  
**_

_**To end, here is the Ukranian for "I love you." Я люблю тебе. Phonetically: YA lyublyu tebe.  
**_


End file.
